Father’s Day, similarly to Mother’s Day is to help acknowledge the contribution of fathers to their families and society to a larger extent. Father’s Day provide children with an opportunity to express their love, respect and admiration for their fathers. But did you know that the origins of Father’s day dates back to 1908 when Grace Golden Clayton suggested to the minister of a local Methodist Church that they should hold church services to celebrate the fathers after a deadly mine explosion killed 361 men? Also in that same time period, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd felt compelled to honor her own father, a single parent who raised his six children. Mothers without husbands, children without fathers and fathers without wives—-all were families that sought healing. It was these imperfect experiences and constructs that forged this commemorative moment.
I said all of this to make a point. Father’s Day originated from a place of hurt and darkness. It was never about a pretty Hallmark Card but more so the mourning of the loss of lives. This dark cloud has hung around over the celebrations for centuries and is still visible today in the way we choose to acknowledge, honor and celebrate our fathers and father figures. For centuries the role of fathers has been pathologized, dehumanized and reduced to nothing more than a donor in some cases. The role of a father is often times degraded to second place as compared to a mother. But a father is just as important to the child as the mother is. We consider mothers to be heroes for simply being able to make it through child birth however the significance of a father in the development and emotional well being of a child makes him no less than a hero. Children depend on their father for their spiritual, emotional, physical, financial guidance and social well being. For most daughters, their father is seen the ideal man and also the first man they adore, while for sons, their father is an idol and the strongest man they aspire to emulate.
It is the goal of every father to be able to maintain their position of “Dad” despite the challenges and trials that comes with that title (sometimes at no fault of their own but rather the social discrimination that occurs within our very own communities). Some fathers are denied the right to provide for their families, see their children or just have a chance to be a Dad and this has been repeated throughout our history. Children are constantly used as pawns in divorce and separation games. But what good does this do to them, to us or to our society for that matter? When fathers are denied access to their children it defeats the whole purpose of building strong communities through fatherhood. Apart from the law being absolutely clear about a father’s role in a child’s life, it is morally the wrong thing to do and it is hypocritical to sit by and watch it happen. We did not land from the sky or dropped by a Stork. Our mothers did not produce us by themselves. A merge happened so really, there is a little bit of mom and a little bit of dad in our DNA. When I look at myself in the mirror, I am the spitting image of my mother but upon a little more introspection, I am like my father in so many ways. And that in itself is a blessing to me.
So as we celebrate Father’s day this year, let us stand proud with our Fathers and give them the recognition and appreciation they truly deserve. Let us rise up as one big giant community and rally around our fathers – the strong ones, the weak ones, the misguided ones and even the ones who don’t even have a clue as to what they are doing! Just as our grand parents were seen as the backbone of our extended families, let us be that backbone of our fathers in our communities. Let us work with them individually and collectively to reinforce their positions in their families and in the lives of their children. Let us do our part in building solid foundations for our children’s future and not tear down and destroy the fabric of our society. Let us work together to build mentally sound, strong fathers and empower them with the self confidence they need to rise to the occasion to lead our next generation into the future.
Now with all of that being said, we extend our congratulations to the winner of our Father’s Day promotion “Dad you’re the best”- nutmegandspice. One dad, along with a guest of his choice will get a chance to enjoy a luxurious picnic evening organized by Events by Mekilia. Other sponsors making this event possible includes Cakes by Gyviie, Halal Food, Bliss Therapeutic Massage Clinic, Holly Charles Photography and of course Reneescentsationz. Imagine an evening picnicking under the sunset inclusive of a private massage session, candle making class and an exclusive photography session. Stay tuned to our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook to see photos of the event.
Remember Father’s day is just another celebrated day that comes around once a year but being a father is for a lifetime.
Light and love,
Marcella