What kind of Father are you

This Father's Day! All across the world (well at least in 55 countries!) families are celebrating with their fathers, their husbands, and families. And while you think there was always a Father's Day, today is only the 100th anniversary (surely some of you can remember the beginning?!).

The skeptic in us imagines that Hallmark came up with the idea (since they have so much to gain by such a popular holiday) but actually Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the original idea in 1909 (holding the first in 1910 -- hence the 100 years). Father's at the time were considered lazy and poor parents. I wonder if this was due to the general consensus at the time that father's should earn the money and wives should take care of the house and the children? Anyways, she heard a church sermon celebrating the newly recognized Mother's Day and wanted her father (in particular) to get the same celebration and recognition. Her father was a single father, her mother died in childbirth (their 6th child) when Sonora was 16 years old, and by her recollection a wonderful father, deserving of his own, special day.

Sonora Smart Dodd

Because of the prevailing attitude towards fathers's it didn't catch on right away. OK it actually took 40 years to become officially recognized and a widespread celebration. Fair or not, fathers were seen in a similar vein to hummingbird fathers. Male hummingbirds do nothing to raise their young. Their sole contribution to the process is to mate with the female. Hence the push to have a dedicated "Father's Day" was met with scorn and ridicule.

But as times changed fathers were seen in a different light, where participating in domestic chores and raising the children was valued, not scorned. Their nuturing and participatory skills resembled chicadees and nuthatches. These birds feed their mates while they are incubating and brooding, and then help the female with the feeding of their young.

But everyone has a Father of the Year Award. In the birding world it has to go to the whistler, the Downy Woodpecker, who truly go that extra mile. Through the day they share nest duties with the females, but at night it is only the male woodpecker who incubate and brood and roost in the next until their offspring fledge. And they continue to support with the teenagers, helping feed them after they leave the nest, and leading them to food sources (hopefully my suet feeder!).

A male Downy Woodpecker helping a youngster to a meal

So what type of father are you? A hummingbird? A chicadee? Or a Downy Woodpecker?

Happy Father's Day to all of you out there. It's been three years, but we still miss you Dad. Happy Father's Day.

And yes for those of you who were wondering, who ask every year on both Mother's and Father's Day, there is an official Children's Day. And NO it is not EVERY day as our parents told us repeatedly as we were growing up. And of course noone can decide on which day to celebrate it (I think it's a consipiracy). Some have it on the 1st Sunday in June, some the 2nd. Sigh . . . oh well.