Father’s Day is this Sunday...and we hope you’ve found a way to honor the dear old Dad in your life.

The interesting fact is that, even though this is a long established holiday in America, it almost didn’t make it onto the national calendar.  Why?  Frankly…no offense, guys…people thought it was a joke!

Mother’s Day had already become an established event when attempts to promote Father’s Day faltered left and right in the 1910’s and 20’s.  Newspaper editorials made fun of the proposed day for Dad and public proposals for it were greeted with outright laughter.

Why?  Many saw it as the first step to a slew of other artificial and commercialized calendar events, such as Maiden Aunty’s Day and Household Pet Day (which, in light of such other modern observances as Grandparent’s Day and Secretary’s Day, held a ring of truth).  

There was also, in the media of the time, a tradition of portraying pop as an irresponsible loafer.  One popular song was entitled “Everybody Works But Father.” 

And finally, there was the problem of dispensing the sentimentality common to Mother’s Day to…a guy.  Heaping loving presents and flowery sappiness to big, burly Dad seemed comical to most.  And also a practical problem; “Mannish-looking cards are hard to design,” said one greeting card manufacturer of the time.

Even though the first bill to make Father’s Day a national holiday was introduced in 1913, it took until 1972 for it to become the law of the land when President Nixon signed a proclamation finally making it official. 

Mother’s Day, in contrast, became legal in 1914. 

Dads, like the late Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect.