It can be easy to dismiss highly commercialized holidays like Father’s Day, but it might be very worth it to set aside that natural cynicism and treat it as an positive opportunity. Yes, of course, you should appreciate your father every day – not just once a year – but do you? Busy lives, demanding little people, friends generating social opportunities and so much more, keep working adults very ‘scheduled’. Take the time to think about the people who nurtured you in the past. Is there really any bad time to appreciate a parent? Of course not! So, why not on Father’s Day, when he’ll probably already be hoping for that special acknowledgement?
Even if you already feel you keep in decent contact with Dad, Father’s Day can simply function as a reminder to be a little more available when he wants to get coffee, or to listen with a little more care when he talks about his golf score or woodwork. If socks aren’t his thing, or a new wallet out of your budget, then skip them and find some other expression of love that feels natural to you. If you’re not able to spend physical time together, a phone call, or even just an email with some recent pictures of you and the kids, might make him smile. Even if all it costs you is a few minutes on the phone or on the computer, that contact with you is essential for his feelings of connection and wellbeing. Some dads are not so chatty. However in our experience, it’s still very well received to sit together quietly enjoying a beer or a cup of tea.
If you, perhaps, feel a little bit guilty about not having been available in the past, don’t let that stop you from reaching out in some small way. It is all too easy to take family for granted while they’re here, but we never know how much time we truly have with any one person. If there’s anything you might regret not saying to your dad, why not take the chance to say it on a day when he will surely be foremost in your mind?
