Why did it take so long for Father’s Day to become a national holiday? Mother’s Day began in the 1850’s (declared a national holiday in 1914) for mourning women to remember fallen soldiers but also sought to curb infant mortality by fighting disease and milk contamination. However, Father’s Day, first introduced in 1909, was not made a national holiday until President Nixon signed it into law in 1972. It was the idea of a young woman, Sonora Smart Todd, who had been one of six siblings raised by a single father after her mother had died. She simply wanted to honor her father and everything he had done for her and her brothers. A pure and sweet commencement.
Our parents divorced when I was in 5th grade, back in the 60’s… the Mad Men era when mothers focused on the kids and the father on his career. Luckily for my sister and me, our dad was not born of that mold. He never missed our weekends together, Wednesday night dinners or summer vacations. He took us camping, making us eat nothing but cantaloupe for 4 days (because they were 4 for $1 at the nearby farm stand), he organized ski trips and big Sunday night dinners. He loved being a dad to two girls…he had been raised by women and felt comfortable around women (I think he liked being the only man and the attention that goes with it :). He was always there for us and made us feel that we were loved more than anyone else on the planet. He was a great dad and I miss him every day…
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