Men are not known to be the best chronicler of dates, and that I mean calendar dates of events or occasions that matter to their significant others. Anniversaries and birthdates. You name it, we men are guilty as charged. Surely there are exceptions, but they are, well, the exceptions. Chances are, you’re not one of those exceptions.
And should you protest and claim that you keep track and remember dates, let me ask you this: When is Father’s Day?
Okay, okay, you know. But in case you don’t, let me help you. Father’s Day in the Philippines is celebrated every third Sunday of June. I know. After searching for that information for around 10 minutes in the net, I should know. That’s June 21, 2009. What other day better to celebrate (and considering that this is a purely commercial creation, spend on) Father’s Day that on a Sunday?
Personally, I don’t give squat if Father’s Day exists or not. We won’t be bombarded by all these ads and promos on Father’s Day. There would be no excessive number of humanity at the mall or other favorite Sunday hang-outs. Whoever is the big genius behind the creation of Father’s Day probably knows very well that we fathers appreciate some space. The very same date intended to put us, fathers, on a pedestal, takes out one of the things we hold dear — space.
And there would be no excuse to spend more on this “special” occasion. We may end up paying, directly or indirectly, for the celebrations intended for us.
We are told that Father’s Day is a special day to say “thank you” to dad, papa, tatay, or whatever you as a father is called. For those who have “bad” fathers (whether being bad is a fact or just imaginary), then Father’s Day is just rubbing salt to the injury. We should be saying “thank you” to fathers on Father’s Day, for being good fathers, then what you have is a bad egg. Depressing.
On the other hand, if you have a good dad, he would probably be a good dad, even if you don’t say thank you. It’s a father’s obligation to give the family the best there is (okay, for the purpose of not spoiling children, fathers may choose to give you something that works perfectly, instead, but grandparents are known for their soft spot for the young ones). Fathers who are fully aware of, and do, their job as fathers don’t need validation by a commercialized Father’s Day.
A simple and heartfelt “thank you” on any crappy day, given after our “good” deed is done, is enough. You don’t have to wait every third Sunday of June to appreciate what we do as fathers.
Those are the reasons why I’m not fond of Father’s Day. There’s no sense of creating a special day for us fathers, when we men would most probably forget about that date anyway.
(P.S. Son, when you grow up, DON’T forget that Father’s Day falls on every 3rd Sunday of June. I’ll disinherit you if you forget.)
