Father's Day or Family Day?

It’s an interesting thing when you think about it. It feels like we’re still stuck in the 1950s when you look at how we celebrate motherhood and fatherhood.

If you consider the advertising around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it tells a tale of the past. Mother’s Day is about pampering. We talk about breakfast in bed, a special brunch out, a bouquet of flowers, a trip to the spa and dad and the kids pitching in around the house to make Mom’s special day memorable. In other words, things nobody would do otherwise if there wasn’t a designated day.

Father's Day is entirely different. On Dad’s special day, our minds race to a sense that Dad deserves some time to himself. He can disappear for five hours with his buddies to play a round of golf, watch the ball game with his feet up or arrive at the dinner table fresh from the grill to the ooohs and ahhhs that he can contribute dinner’s main course.

Maybe Father's Day should really be renamed Family Day with the aim of encouraging dads to be “all in” as opposed to being “out.” The research is clear that dads are not living up to their promise when it comes to talking to the kids about a number of important issues.

If it isn’t happening already, Father’s Day or Family Day seems like a great day to kick start important conversations. They get easier as you go. Of course, nobody needs a special day to have a family discussion, but if you need permission, consider it granted! In the car, in the yard, around the dinner table or in front of the TV, there’s no wrong time to have a family discussion.

And just for the record, we'll take a new tie or tickets to the game any time. Make Father’s Day Family Day.