Another day of celebration takes place this month. It’s not a national holiday, and most businesses will still be open. Hallmark and restaurants will be promoting this special day. Families across our nation will celebrate it with cards and gifts. Yes, Sunday, June 16, is Father’s Day.
In 1907, Mother’s Day began in one state: West Virginia. Anna Jarvis suggested celebrating the work of mothers, and in five years, it was adopted by all 45 states. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national holiday.
Father’s Day took a little more time! Its earliest beginnings can be traced back to a memorial service for 362 men who died in the Fairmont Coal Company explosion in West Virginia in 1908. However, it was a one-time Sunday service and sermon.
However, that event seemingly sparked some interest in Sonora Smart Dodd’s mind. She was the sister of five brothers raised by her father — a widower. She promoted the idea to churches, shop owners, the YMCA, and governmental officials across Washington state. Washington state adopted the holiday on June 19, 1910. While other states picked up the idea, it took over 60 years to become a national holiday. In 1972, President Nixon declared the third Sunday in June as “Father’s Day.” Hallmark might have had some input on promoting the idea!
Why are dads so important?
Because these facts are so shocking . . . .
- America is the wealthiest industrialized nation in the world, and we have a poverty rate that is twice that of any other industrialized nation.
- Children are four times more likely to live in poverty when there is no father at home.
- The United States is the world leader in youth homicide. There are more kids killed by other kids in America than in any place in the whole world. Children raised without a father show higher levels of aggressive behavior.
- One in five prisoners was raised in a home without a father.
- Sixty percent of America’s rapists, 72 percent of adolescent murderers, and 70 percent of long-term prison inmates grew up in a home without a father.
- Teens without fathers are twice as likely to be involved in early sexual activity and seven times more likely to get pregnant as adolescents.
- Children raised in a home without a father are more prone to dropping out of school, drinking alcohol, obesity, and drugs.
- Tonight, four children in ten go to bed in a household where their biological father is absent.
- One in every two children will spend at least some time before the age of eighteen living with only one of their biological parents. 1
Those are the facts!
Fathers matter! They are unique and irreplaceable! The presence of a father changes a home and changes a society! Over 75% of adults agree that children raised in a household with a mother and a father are better off.
Father’s and Mother’s Day are the only national holidays that always fall on a Sunday. These two days are one of the best opportunities for churches to talk about family and for family members to invite their children, parents, and grandparents.
It is fitting that both Mother’s and Father’s Day are celebrated on a Sunday because of one other fact — Children raised in families with a sincere religious foundation are more likely to experience a healthy and balanced childhood.
Yes, some terrible family situations exist. I understand the pain that some may feel on these special days. But they are the exception, not the rule. And good and godly fathers could have also made a difference there.
Fathers matter, Mothers matter, and church matters! They all change the quality of life for a family! Celebrate Father’s Day this year with your parents or children! Send a card, buy a gift, go to church, and make a difference!
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