The Mother of Father’s Day

We’re well into June here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and the temperatures and the activity are on the rise! Our storage rental customers are on the move as they take summer items out of their storage spaces, and stowaway cold weather gear for now.

One of our longtime customers, Mr. Osborne, stopped into the rental office today to purchase some boxes, with his five kids in tow. ”I see that you’ve got a lot of helpers today” I quipped. “Yes, Father’s Day is a very busy day around our house!” Mr. Osborne replied. 

This got me thinking about Father’s Day. When did someone decide that Mothers were not the only ones that needed a special day? I decided to find out…

The Origins of Father’s Day

While listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, the idea of Father’s Day suddenly struck Spokane Washington resident, Sonora Dodd. She wanted to honor her own father, William, who was well-deserving of a special day as a widowed farmer, left alone to raise his six kids single-handedly.

The local residents embraced the idea so warmly that by June 19th, 1910 the first Father’s Day celebration was proclaimed in Spokane, because it was the month of Dodd’s father’s birth.

Decades later, the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.

Father’s Day in America has been officially celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent. Due to her efforts, Sonora Dodd is now known as “The Mother of Father’s Day”.

Did You Know?

• Today, some of the most popular Internet searches connected to the day include “Father’s Day recipes”, “Father’s Day poems”, and “Father’s Day crafts.”

• Roses are the official flower for Father’s Day. A red rose is worn in the lapel if your father is living, a white rose if he is deceased.
• Father’s Day is celebrated in most places on the third Sunday in June, but not everywhere. In Spain and Portugal, for instance, fathers are honored on St. Joseph’s Day on March 19. In Australia, it’s the first Sunday in September.

Father’s Day Facts

This is a big day for the 70.1 million fathers in America. Nearly 95 million Father’s Day cards were given last year in the United States, making Father’s Day the fourth-largest card-sending occasion.

Sons and daughters send 50 percent of the Father’s Day card to their dads. Nearly 20 percent of Father’s Day cards are purchased by wives for their husbands. That leaves 30 percent of the cards which go to grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles and “someone special.”

While not everyone in America is a fan of Father’s Day, nearly 75 percent of Americans plan to celebrate or acknowledge Father’s Day.

Mr. Mom

Mr. Mom is becoming a more common sight at parks across America with 154,000 estimated “stay-at-home” dads. These married fathers with children under 15 years old have remained out of the labor force for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 287,000 children under 15.

The dads seem to stay home more with younger children. Preschoolers claim 20 percent of fathers with employed wives who were the primary caregiver for their preschooler. In contrast, only 6 percent of fathers provided the most hours of care for their grade-school-aged child.

Many families split the responsibility of child care. Many Dad’s (32%) with full time jobs regularly worked evening or night shifts and were the primary source of care for their preschoolers during their children’s mother’s working hours.

Gifts for Father’s Day

Neckties are an old standby and lead the list of Father’s Day gifts. 

Other items high on the list of Father’s Day gifts include those items you may find in Dad’s toolbox such as hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers. 

Other traditional gifts for dad such as fishing rods and golf clubs make for a happy Father’s Day- Good news for the more than 22,000 sporting goods stores in America.

More than 85 million Americans participated at a barbecue in the last year — it’s probably safe to assume many of these barbecues took place on Father’s Day.

The staff here at The Storage Inn wishes all of you Dads and Mr. Moms a Happy Father’s Day – And if you’re out there shopping, your Dad asked me to let you know that he has enough neckties – Happy Father’s Day!