Let's Show Daddy We Love Him
By Celebrating Dia del Padre or Father's Day

Many Hispanic countries celebrate El Dia del Padre during the third week of June like in the U.S. Uruguay in the second week of July and Spain, Honduras and Bolivia celebrate on March 19th, the same day Catholics honor San Joseph the father of Jesus.

Argentineans celebrate twice, first in June and second in August 17 in honor to Mr. José de San Martín the liberator of the nation

For many of us who had the fortune of growing up with both parents El Dia del Padre presents a wonderful opportunity to get together with family including uncles, cousins, grand parents, and even friends of the family to show our appreciation for their "fathering" efforts with an "asado" -grilled food, a special lunch or by taking them out to a restaurant.

At school, children prepare hand made gifts for their fathers and read poems related to the topic. At home we make a handmade card and I prepare a set of books in Spanish and English related to daddy and the holiday to read with my son Ian days before the holiday.

Dia del Padre or the Day of the Forgotten One

Daddy helping with Ian
Picture by Marcela Hede

Why do I say so? Because father's day is a holiday that I think doesn't have the importance it should have.

A couple of days ago I went to YouTube and looked for videos of El Dia del Padre. I found that the funniest ones referred to how forgotten are "los papás" and the kinds of silly and useless gifts they receive in "their" day.

I laughed out loud watching some of the videos showing sad and annoyed fathers who received every year the same ties, socks, underwear, etc.

I was puzzled...why is Father's Day so forgotten? In Colombia many say "mother is only one father could be anyone." Reading The New York Times article "The Tragedy of America's Disappearing Fathers" by John Williams helped me understand one of the probable causes of forgetfulness towards this holiday.

In his article, John Williams writes "we should reflect upon a sad fact: It is now common to meet young people in our big city schools, foster-care homes and juvenile centers who do not know their dads."

According to the National Center for Health Statistics 22% of America's white children don't have any male in their homes. 31% of Hispanic children, and over 56% of black children are fatherless... No wonder why we don't celebrate "El Día del Padre" with the same enthusiasm as "El Día de la Madre."

History of El Dia del Padre

It all started in 1909 when Mrs. Dodd thought about honoring her father who raised all his six children in a farm in eastern Washington state. Her mother died giving birth to the last child.

In June of 1910 she arranged a tribute for her father. It took many years until US President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea in 1924, and later in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Unique Gifts for Fathers Day
Listening to a Father's Advice

Some of the best gift ideas for Father's Day come from observing daddy. Look at what he likes.

Think about engraving, it can make a gift unique Many fathers appreciate gadgets and electronics, what does he dream about?

I spoke to my "gringo" on what to advice mothers and children for giving dad on Father's Day and he said: "Just ask us, some guys want to be left alone that day, for others sleeping late is a must. Think about what we rarely get to do but we love the most like our hobbies, sports, and you can almost never go wrong by surprising us with breakfast in bed and a hand made card."

My husband also says that recognizing father's efforts, even the smallest ones, may help them become more interested in the relationship with their children. They may be feeling forgotten, so let's try a bit of positive reinforcement... It never hurts and it may help a lot!