Father's Day

Father's Day was started because there was a Mother's Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother's Day, we should also have a Father's Day ... 

I. History of Father's Day

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, was one of the first people who had the idea of a "Father's Day". She thought of the idea of Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the new-born and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in the east of Washington State.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

Even before Dodd, however, the idea of observing a day in honor of fathers was promoted. Dr. Robert Webb conducted what is believed as the first Father's Day service at the Central Church of Fairmont, West Virginia in 1908. It was Dodd's efforts, however, that eventually led to a national observance.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's day.

II. Traditional Values and Roles

Respect and love. Many grown Americans have a hard time saying to their father,"I love you, Dad." even if they love their fathers very much. And some fathers feel uncomfortable when their children—especially when a son says, "I love you." For hundreds of years in Europe and then in America children were expected to love their mothers and respect their fathers. Mothers, especially, would teach their children to respect their fathers, sometimes even to the point of making the children afraid of their fathers.

Girls were supposed to learn to do work in the house, like cooking, cleaning, washing, and sewing things that would help their mothers. Boys were supposed to do work outside the house, bring in wood or coal for the stoves, feed the farm animals, help repair equipment, and do heavier work—things that would help their fathers. As a result girls were trained to be skillful at domestic tasks, while boys were trained to do the jobs that would earn money for the family.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Sonora want a day to honor her father?
2. Who supported the idea of a national Father's Day?
3. When is the Father's Day?
4. Who were respected according to the story?
5. Who were loved according to the story?

(Keys.)