On July 5, 1908 something special occurred for the first time in the United States of America. On that day the first observance of Father’s Day occurred. Father’s Day was celebrated in the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South. Late on June 19, 1910 the YMCA had their first observance of the holiday. In 1913 congress attempted to establish Father’s Day as a holiday but was unsuccessful. Decades passed before it officially became a holiday. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the first official Father’s Day holiday. Ever since Father’s Day has been observed the third Sunday in June.

The Importance of Fathers

Lets backtrack a bit. In 1914 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson acknowledged the first Mother’s Day. It would be another 50 years until a president acknowledged the need to honor fathers in a reciprocal manner. In the same 50 years coincidentally single mother homes also dramatically increased and has continued upwards ever since. Father’s are just as important to every family as they have always been and yet for many reasons their roles have declined. The lack of fathers in a home are evident in society as a whole.

Here are some statistics. Currently in the United States this year it is estimated that 40% of babies born are born to single mothers. As of 2016 25% of whites were born to single mothers. 66% of black American children were born to single mothers. Here is two charts that go even further.

The interesting fact is that violent crime rates also went up at a similar rate and peaked in the 90’s. The rate of single mothers also peaked in the 90’s and has plateaued. We could suggest that violent crime rates have dropped do to President Clinton’s Three-Strikes Law. However, a case can also be made that having no father figure in the home drastically effects the raising of children. The result, higher crime. Results are even further supported by FBI’s statistics that state violent crimes are committed by black Americans at a proportionally higher rate. Consistent with proportionally more single mother homes in black families. If there was no correlation the proportional rate would not be significantly higher.

Not everything is so simple. I’m not trying to get into a race debate, rather offer a constructive argument for the need of fathers at home. Crime itself is an indicator of the importance of fathers at home. If not the most important indicator.

My personal opinion is that it is important to have both parents in a home as long if it’s conducive to a positive environment. Indeed not all scenarios work where both parents live together. At a minimum a father should at least be involved in their child’s life. If the United States had a large effort to express the importance of fathers in a home, and the single mother rate declined, I truly believe the violent crime rate would decrease as well.

Regardless of crime, fathers are important for the emotional wellbeing of children. They offer a role model. Children with fathers do better in school. Children tend to end up with higher incomes on average. They are less likely to do drugs. Children with fathers tend to be less obese. They tend to be happier. Don’t just believe me though, research on your own as I have done.

The Importance of Father’s Day

Father’s Day is important because it allows us to thank our fathers for the unconditional love they have for us. It allows us to honor the contributions they have made to mold us into who we are. As men age, many start asking the question if they made a difference and if they achieved purpose. Father’s Day allows everyone to acknowledge those achievements. Busy life schedules often separate us as we get older. It’s also a day to reunite and to get back into touch with each other.

It’s also important to those who have lost their father, stepfather, grandfather, or any father figure for that matter. For those who believe in a God above, it’s a day to remind you that you will be reunited in heaven not only with your earthly father but also the bloke in the sky. Loosing a parent is hard. I can’t imagine fully yet because I haven’t experienced such loss. My only advice is to try and celebrate the day rather than mourn.

My Father

As a child my favorite thing to do was play sports. My dad and I would play basketball on a dirt court. I remembered when he first installed a hoop outside. Our court had rocks that occasionally made the ball bounce in the opposite direction. Often in the direction of a slanted cliff. So many times we’d have to climb down to retrieve our ball. My dad and I would also throw a football or baseball for fun. As I got older and played sports in school I remember him sitting on the side of the court. To this day our most common discussions are about our favorite sports teams.

We played many video games together as a child. First was Atari, then Nintendo and so on. One July 4th we played so late in the night we forgot about the fireworks entirely. That’s probably where my love of video games stem from.

When I got married to Jolene, my father was my Best Man. So many people choose their close friend as best man. I chose my father. Friends come and go, but a father will always be your father. No matter how far apart we are from life events, or how busy we make ourselves, my father is still Daddy to me. So happy Father’s Day Dad. Lastly, I can’t forget about the other fathers that made a difference in my life. Happy Father’s Day Grandpa. Happy Father’s Day to Jolene’s Dad. Happy Father’s Day to my StepDad. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there who make a positive difference not only in my life but in everyones life. This is your day.