Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Dad’s get the furry end of the lollipop on Father’s Day!

A long time ago a friend of mine observed that sermons preached in church for Mother’s Day seem to celebrate the enduring selflessness of mothers while Father’s Day sermons seem to shake a disapproving finger at dads for their immeasurable failures. I noticed recently that it isn’t just in church that men are bombarded to do the right thing, take care of their own and just man up!

Today I received an email from Family Life offering resources that will equip fathers to “…step up to the plate for the sake of your marriage and family, and for the spiritual legacy you leave them” and reminding them to “…clearly understand the incredible impact of your leadership in the lives of your children and grandchildren.” I don’t know about you but if someone bought me this study series as a Father’s Day gift, I’d be a little offended that they assumed I didn’t already know the importance of my role as father, husband, spiritual head of my household, protector, warrior, champion of my wife’s heart, hero to my children, etc. Don’t get me wrong – we can all use a little reminder of our role in God’s Kingdom. But ON Father’s Day….really? That’s when you want to publicly shame the men into “stepping up to the plate”? That’s when you want to remind them of how truly far from the bull’s eye they are? I don’t get it. This message will NEVER be conveyed in our house.

Another thing I hate around Father’s Day is the implication that all men do is walk around in slippers and sit in an arm chair sipping coffee, remote in hand, flipping between golf and fishing while on a break from the honey-do list of things to fix around the house. I notice this because I’m a scrapbooker and card maker. You’ll be hard pressed to find a set of Father’s Day stamps that DON’T have an image of golf, tools, a recliner, some argyle or slippers. So you are saying that men are THAT one dimensional? It’s the impression I’m getting and I’m sure if I see it then the husbands and fathers around us see it too. That makes me SAD!

I can think of a thousand things each day that I want to thank John, my dad, and my father-in-law for contributing to my life. And my aim is to help Brooklyn realize and appreciate all these wonderful things too!

2 comments:

Musings of the Mrs. said...

Great post. This is so true. Every fathers day card is this way too. Sports, arm chairs, etc. Dad's are so important and they do get the furry end of the lollipop. I'm glad you are going to make your husband's day one to remember!

Kelly said...

I have seen a return of the dad to his rightful place in the family-- I agree we must encourage, not discourage with guilt.