The History of Father's Day
Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for 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 newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern 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 his 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.
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.
Quotes About Dad
"A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again." -- Enid Bagnold
"It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed knowing them all." -- Alice Walker
"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of SUCH a Father who has not his equal in this world-so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal." -- Victoria, Queen of England
"That is the thankless position of the father in the family-the provider for all, and the enemy of all." -- J. August Strindberg
"It is a wise father that knows his own child." -- William Shakespeare
"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." -- Anne Sexton
"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." -- English Proverb
"To be a successful father . . . there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years." -- Ernest Hemingway
"A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father." -- Gabriel García Márquez
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." -- Sigmund Freud
"I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example." -- Mario Cuomo
"Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young,
Who loved thee so fondly as he?
He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue,
And joined in thy innocent glee."
-- Margaret Courtney
"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right." -- Bill Cosby
"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!" -- Lydia M. Child
Dads are special. So, kids, here are some fun things you can do with Dad on his special day, and a couple of simple crafts you can make for him that will make him smile all year long.
Take Dad On A Picnic
Dads Love Hugs!
Take A Walk To The Park
Fix Dad's Coffee For Him On Father's Day
Take Dad Fishing
Spend Some Quiet Time With Dad
Make Dad A Special Cake
Make A Nuts And Bolts Picture Frame
Fishing For Photos
Most Of All, Tell Dad You Love Him
Pack a basket with some sandwiches, a couple of apples, some carrots and celery and chocolate chip cookies. Don't forget the Kool-Aid, the cups and the frisbee.
Make Dad a coupon book good for 10 free hugs.
This time, kids, its your turn to push Dad on the swings.
Not just at breakfast, but all day long. Let him sit and relax.
This time it's your turn to read him a story.
Use one packaged cake mix and bake according to the box directions. Using canned icing (your dad's favorite), ice cake. Using pipe icing, write "Dad is Special" on the cake and maybe add a few decorations and candies that you think he will like. Put in a candle, and serve it to him for dessert.
(Young children will need help with this one.) Purchase an inexpensive picture frame, and using a hot glue gun, glue nuts and bolts all around the frame. Fill with a favorite picture of yourself.
Cut out a picture of your dad, and glue to a piece of cardboard. Fold back outside edges so that the picture stands up (like a paper doll). Using felt tip markers, draw a fishing line in Dad's hand, and at the end of each line, add a picture of each of Dad's kids. This is fun, and simple enough for little children to make.
That will really make him smile.
