Dads are used to being the Rodney Dangerfield of parents. We don’t get no respect. Our culture is filled with reminders like Parenting Magazine’s tagline: “What matters to moms”.
Father’s Day provides the ultimate salt in the wound. BusinessWeek reports that in 2005, consumers spent $11 billion on Mother’s Day vs $8 billion on Father’s Day.
Take a guess when is the busiest collect call day of the year. Yup, we make dads foot the bill to talk to their kids on Father’s Day.
Personally, I don’t need or expect a big production on Father’s Day. Just let me stay in bed until 7am, eat my meals sitting down at a table, and let me watch the last hour of the U.S. Golf Open.
I suspect most of my audience will vote for “Equal” in the poll. I also expect there will be some, probably the dads, who say Mother’s Day is the bigger holiday. I doubt there will be any votes for Father’s Day as the bigger holiday.
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6 responses so far ↓
1 Aunt Crazy // Jun 13, 2008 at 9:57 am
OK, I just lost my last comment because I am too unintelligent to decipher the code I am supposed to type in the special little block below. This probably discredits my comment altogether, but Here Goes!
I understand that the statistic on spending does imply that no one cares as much. I myself worked in a Hallmark Store for 5 years and I can tell you, Mothers’ Day was a MUCH bigger deal.
In addition, I am not a parent, so I can’t say how it is in my family.
BUT !!!
I believe that Fathers’ Day IS as big as Mothers’ Day. The big differentiator, I believe, is that many Dads get MAD when their families go out and spend money on them. Most of them just want a special day … of golf, hanging with the buddies at the pool hall, or tinkering in the yard or garage.
That’s my 2 cents. Either way, Happy Fathers’ Day, Suburban Daddy!!
2 jason // Jun 13, 2008 at 10:07 am
I vote Mother’s Day, because a happy wife equals a happy life.
3 ladybughugs // Jun 13, 2008 at 2:21 pm
If the breakfast served to the honoree is any indication, Father’s Day.
In our house for Mom: bagels, cream cheese, coffee, juice.
In our house for Dad: some kind of breakfast casserole or breakfast burritos or something that requires some kind of, you know, cooking!
4 Jenny // Jun 14, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I think the $3 billion disparity in gift spending is due to so many mothers getting jewelry. It’s frequently more expensive than things you’d buy for Dad!
5 John Esberg // Jun 14, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Fathers are the joke of our society, except when people want us to jump in to ensure there are 2 parents. I wonder how long it will take for the cycle to swing the other way back in our favor again? It seems only the media will decide.
6 Dean Everton Prescott // Jun 17, 2008 at 5:31 pm
John,
What makes you say this?
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