Yesterday was Father’s Day. I’m a little late on the ball, but that often happens with me, so here we are! Father’s Day, like many holidays, was established in the United States during the first decade of the 20th Century by Sonora Smart Dodd as a way to celebrate and honour fathers.
Although it was celebrated in Arkansas for the first time in 1910, it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that it became considered a recognized nationwide holiday.
As some of you know, I have a 4-year old son named Nathan. He’s a handful, and like his father, can’t seem to sit still for very long. Nathan created a few crafts at pre-school for me in celebration of Father’s Day, which I will share with you now.
His first gift was a small five-ounce glass jar that contained ingredients to make two chocolate chip cookies. All that was needed was a tablespoon of butter and an egg, prior to popping it into the oven. It made two cookies, which Nathan and I were then able to share.
Baked goods don’t sit for very long around the men in my family, so we don’t have any photos of our cookies as Nathan and I wolfed them down as soon as they came out of the oven. I’m not certain if the ingredient amounts were incorrect or if I added too much butter, but the batter was a bit soupy. We ended up having one big, square cookie. We still ate it. It was still good.
The second gift my sone provided was a card containing questions his teacher asked him about me. I will share it here…
The first thing I’d like to point out is the fact that my son believes I am 5 years’ old. Children can have a wonderful perspective, and it’s often funny to see how their mind works.
The use of “big weights” doesn’t really surprise me as Nathan is often with me during workouts, as I’ve written about before. He apparently knows me well enough to recognize that my favourite meal is pizza and that if I had time I would “sit and relax” haha.
Despite the comedy involved in some of his answers, what melts my heart the most is his recognition of the love in our family, as he indicates that my parting words always include “I love you” and he indicates how much he loves me.
Life is short and is a very fleeting thing. Since we never know what life may bring, I’ve always tried to teach Nathan that telling a loved one that you love them before leaving is important. If this were to be the last words spoken to each other, we would know they meant something.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, and all the other parents who may be performing the duties of a Father. You’re important and provide the shining example of what your child should endeavour to become. ☯
