Why Do We Celebrate Father’s Day?

Families are stronger when members commemorate important days. Sunday, June 15, 2025, is Father’s Day in the United States. This non-federal holiday is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in the United States.

Most government offices and businesses run their usual Sunday schedule. If they are open or closed on a regular Sunday, the same will be true on Father’s Day.

Even though Father’s Day is not a federal holiday, it is a meaningful day that most Americans observe. It is a day to thank the father-figures in our lives: fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, guardians, and other male role models who give us their love, guidance, and support. It can be observed with a quiet meal or a big celebration.

The important thing about Father’s Day is the act of showing appreciation for fathers and their important role in our lives and society. This site gives the following history of Father’s Day in the United States. 

The idea of celebrating Father’s Day started in the early 1900s. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton held a church service in Fairmont, West Virginia, to honor fathers who died in the 1907 mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia.

A year later, Sonora Smart Dodd, a young woman from Spokane, Washington, proposed a national Father’s Day. Inspired by a Mother’s Day sermon, she wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran and widower who raised his six children alone.

Sonora approached the Spokane Ministerial Alliance for support. Although she suggested June 5, her father’s birthday, the alliance opted for the third Sunday in June to give pastors more time to prepare their sermons.

With help from local churches, community groups, and the Spokane Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), the first Father’s Day celebration was held on June 19, 1910.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson visited Spokane and spoke at a Father’s Day service, showing early presidential support. The idea gained momentum over time.

By the 1930s, advertisers and retailers began promoting Father’s Day as a commercial holiday, encouraging people to buy gifts and cards. The National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day helped push the holiday into wider public acceptance through marketing campaigns.

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a presidential proclamation recognizing Father’s Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as an official national observance.

Role of Fathers

             Father’s Day was Sunday, and my thoughts have been on fathers in general as well as the fathers in my life. For whatever reason, my study matter for this week was on fathers and finance. An optional reading assignment was a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 2004. It seems only fitting that I should share some of his words. 

            Elder Perry begins his talk by reminding us that “Satan is working overtime to enslave the souls of men” and his “main target is the fundamental unit of society – the family.” As we can all plainly see, Satan is being successful. We can see it in the “increased crime, behavior disorders, poverty, drug abuse” and much more. He says that it appears that Satan has centered his attack on husbands and fathers in that they are ridiculed and demeaned in their God-given roles.

Satan, in his carefully devised plan to destroy the family, seeks to diminish the role of fathers. Increased youth violence, youth crime, greater poverty and economic insecurity, and the failure of increasing numbers of children in our schools offer clear evidence of lack of a positive influence of fathers in the homes. A family needs a father to anchor it.

Surely we have learned by now, from the experience over centuries, that the basic family provides the most stable and secure foundation for society and is fundamental to the preparation of your people for their future responsibilities. We should have learned by now that alternative styles of family formations have not worked and never will work….

            Elder Perry uses several stories in the scriptures as examples for the roles of fathers. He then focuses particularly on what the Lord expects fathers to do. The first role of a father is to be the head of his family. Elder Perry quotes counsel from several prophets about the leadership of fathers. In essence, this counsel is as follows. Fathers are to preside in the home, but their wives are coequals with them. They are to work together for the good of the family in establishing family rules and discipline. Fathers are to use their priesthood to bless their families.

            The second role of a father is to be a teacher. Fathers are to teach their children the truths of the gospel by word and example. They are to live, study, and pray to be guided by the Holy Ghost in their fathering. They are to share their experiences with the working world. This means that they are to teach their children how to work and how to be dependable and responsible employees. They can guide their children to choose wisely in making post-high school decisions.

            The third role of a father is to be the temporal provider. The Lord gives men the responsibility to provide for their families in such a way that their wife can fulfill her role as the mother in the home.

            The role of a father is to provide for his family, preside over his family, and to protect his family. The family should be a father’s highest priority on earth because the family is the only unit that can endure beyond the grave. Elder Perry quotes President Joseph F. Smith as saying the following (“The Rights of Fatherhood,” Juvenile Instructor, 1 Mar. 1902, 146):

The position which men occupy in the family, and especially those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, is one of first importance and should be clearly recognized and maintained in the order and with the authority which God conferred upon man in placing him at the head of his household.

… There is no higher authority in matters relating to the family organization, and especially when that organization is presided over by one holding the higher priesthood, than that of the father. … The patriarchal order is of divine origin and will continue throughout time and eternity. There is then a particular reason why men, women, and children should understand this order and this authority in the households of the people of God, and seek to make it what God intended it to be, a qualification and preparation for the highest exaltation of His children. In the home the presiding authority is always vested in the father, and in all home affairs and family matters there is no other authority paramount.

            I recognize that in the world today there are many people who ridicule and condemn the patriarchal order. I know hundreds of men who are righteous patriarchs in their homes, and I know that the patriarchal order is of God. Therefore, I believe that those who condemn it do not understand it or are willfully trying to destroy the power and authority of the position of a patriarch. I am grateful to belong to a family that understands the place of the patriarch and the matriarch in a family. Husband and wife stand together as co-presidents in their family. They work together as coequals for the eternal good of their family.

Our Fathers

            Tomorrow is Father’s Day, a day when Americans traditionally honor their fathers. However, my thoughts in recent days have been on Heavenly Father, the Father of our spirits. I find it interesting that He chooses to be called Father when there are so many other names that He could have chosen. I am grateful for my knowledge that He lives and that He knows each one of His children. I am grateful to know that He has a plan for us as a whole to return to His presence when our lives on earth are over. I am also grateful to know that He has a plan for me as an individual and that He helps me to make the best decisions to enable me to succeed with His plan.

            My thoughts have also been with my earthly father. He passed away in 1995 at age 88, so I have been without him in my life for more than 14 years. I miss him greatly, and I try to live my life pleasing to him. I know that if I am pleasing my earthly father, then I am pleasing my Heavenly Father – and vice versa. I know that they both love me and want me to succeed.

            I am grateful for my husband, the father of my children. I am grateful for his willingness to provide for our family and to allow me to be a stay-at-home mother. I am grateful that he developed the necessary skills to earn good wages and that he made wise investment decisions, which are blessing our lives at the present time.

            I am grateful for my sons by birth and marriage, the fathers of my grandchildren. I am grateful that they are willing to provide for their families and allow their wives to be at home with the children. I am grateful that they recognize the importance of being in the lives of their children and that they take their fathering experience seriously. I am grateful for their abilities to be the breadwinners in their families as well as for the way that they interact with their children. I can see from these actions that they recognize that being a father to their children is much more important than anything that they can do in their careers.

            I take this opportunity to wish “Happy Father’s Day” to all the fathers in my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren as well as all other fathers. I hope that you are all treated royally because you deserve it!

Fatherhood

            I know that motherhood is a sacred and important role for women, but I am just learning about the importance of fatherhood. This learning has taken place over several years and has come by way of my sons and sons by marriage.

            These fine young men – now more middle age men – amaze me with the way they interact with their children. I see things in the relationships between these sons and their children that I have never observed previously. I certainly did not see it in my relationship with my father or in the relationships of my husband and children. Because my sons are such good fathers, my grandchildren are greatly blessed in many ways.

            I was recently walking through a Deseret Book Store when I saw a book written by my “favorite” Apostle. Even though I admire and respect all the Apostles and appreciate the counsel given by each of them, I know Elder D. Todd Christofferson personally. He knows who I am and knows my name even though he knows little about me. This little bit of personal knowledge shared with Elder Christofferson makes him seem extra special to me.

            Elder Christofferson’s book is titled The Good That Men Can Do and can be purchased through Deseret Book Store. Elder Christofferson writes about fatherhood and the good that men can do in their roles of husbands and fathers. He shares the following quote from David Blankenhorn, the author of Fatherless America.

Today, American society is fundamentally divided and ambivalent about the fatherhood idea. Some people do not even remember it. Others are offended by it. Others, including more than a few family scholars, neglect it or disdain it. Many other are not especially opposed to it, nor are they especially committed to it. Many people wish we could act on it, but believe that our society simply no longer can or will (2).

            I am grateful that my sons are taking seriously the counsel given by prophets and apostles about their important roles as husbands and fathers. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states very clearly that it is “by divine design” [that] fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” Of course, fathers and mothers are supposed to support each other in their roles.

            Elder Christofferson gives three keys to the good that can be done “in social terms” by men who are trying to be good fathers. “The key for men is to be fathers. The key for children is to have fathers. The key for society is to create fathers” (13). He also emphasizes that “fatherhood is much more than a social construct or the product of evolution. The role of father is of divine origin, beginning with a Father in Heaven and, in this mortal sphere, with Father Adam” (15). I love the following statement.

The perfect, divine expression of fatherhood is our Heavenly Father. His character and attributes include abundant goodness and perfect love. His work and glory are the development, happiness, and eternal life of His children….

Again, the ultimate model is our Heavenly Father, who so loved us, His spirit children, that He gave us His Only Begotten Son for our salvation and exaltation. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Fathers manifest that love as they lay down their lives day by day, laboring in the service and support of their families (17, 22).

            In addition to sacrificing for their children, Christofferson suggests that fathers teach their children about Heavenly Father. They can do this by studying the scriptures with them as well as using informal discussions, working and playing together, and simply listening to their children. He says that fathers are to discipline and correct their children with love and to teach them to work. He states that the most important thing that a father can do is to love the mother of his children and to show that love.

            My sons are much more involved in the lives of their children than my father was, but my father did many good things for his children. I knew even as a small child that my father loved my mother, and I felt great security in my home. My father not only showed his love for my mother, but he insisted that we show respect to her. I knew that I would answer to my father if I did not show respect to his beloved wife. Dad taught me to work and to work hard. He also taught us the importance of play.

            My father worked the graveyard shift at a gas station and still worked his farm during the day. He slept for a few hours at a time, but I do not remember him ever sleeping for an 8-hour period of time. He also took the time to play games with us, particularly card games at holiday time. He loved to tickle us and give us whisker tea (rub our faces with his whiskers).

            I did not appreciate my father so much while I was a child, but I learned of his greatness as an adult. I watched as he continued to learn and to become a better man as he grew older. He is a great example to me, and I look forward to seeing him again and being taught once again by him. Yes, I continue to learn of the importance and value of fathers and fatherhood.

            A wonderful video about fatherhood can be found here. 

Fathers

                Father’s Day is here once again. It is a day when we honor the fathers in our lives. Of course, we should give honor to our biological father. We should give honor to any other man who has acted as a father to us. We should give the most honor and glory to our Father in Heaven who watches over each of us every day. Wise men and women understand that fathers are important in our lives and particularly in the lives of children and teens.

                Ditta M. Oliker, Ph.D., wrote about “The Importance of Fathers” in an article published by Psychology Today. She quotes from a report in “Fathers and Their Impact on Children’s Well-Being.” The report states, “Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surrounds, and, as they grow older, have better social connections.

                “The way fathers play with their children also has an important impact on a child’s emotional and social development. Fathers spend a higher percentage of their one-to-one interactions with infants and preschoolers in stimulating, playful activity than do mothers. From these interactions, children learn how to regulate their feelings and behavior.

                “Children with involved, caring fathers have better educational outcomes. The influence of a father’s involvement extends into adolescence and young adulthood. Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievements among adolescents.” 

                Oliker then asks, “What is the reality these days? There is no question that fathers do play an important part in their children’s lives; that the majority of studies affirm that an involved father can play a crucial role particularly in the cognitive, behavioral and general health and well-being areas of a child’s life; that having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics; that adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them when fathered by an involved father; that it is generally accepted, under most circumstances, a father’s presence and involvement can be as crucial to a child’s healthy development as is the mother’s; and that experiencing validation of their importance in the general parenting literature has made fathers much more conscious of their value and, in turn, leads to their greater desire to be involved.”

                As Oliker states, fathers are important in the lives of children from the time they are born. An involved father has a great impact in the life of his child or children. This impact is felt both emotionally and socially. Fathers teach values and principles that are difficult for mothers to teach.

                In a General Conference talk given in October 1987 and titled “To the Father in Israel,” President Ezra Taft Benson explained that fatherhood is an “eternal calling from which you are never released… and its importance transcends time. It is a calling for both time and eternity.”

                President Benson then quoted President Harold B. Lee. Whenever a prophet quotes another prophet, we should pay extra attention to the counsel. President Lee said that “the most important of the Lord’s work that you [fathers] will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home. [Other] Church duties are all important, but the most important work is within the walls of our home.”

                Then President Benson then gave “two basic responsibilities” that belong to every father “within the sacred walls of his home.” They are: (1) the “sacred responsibility to provide for the material needs of our family” and

(2) the “sacred responsibility to provide spiritual leadership in your family.”

                Fatherhood is a divinely appointed responsibility that lasts throughout the mortal existence and into eternity. Fathers, particularly involved fathers, deserve honor, love, and respect.

                I am blessed to have an involved father. He was not a perfect man, but he did the best he could with the circumstances he had. He taught the importance of work, honest, integrity, and many other principles to my siblings and me. He worked hard to provide for my mother and their twelve children. I miss being able to go to him for counsel, and I look forward to associating with him once again in the next life. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

Father's Day

                The third Sunday in June is Father’s Day.  It is a fairly new holiday, being officially recognized as one by President Richard Nixon in 1972.  The idea to honor fathers came from Sonora Smart Dodd.  Dodd understood that Mother’s Day came about because Anna Jarvis pushed so hard for it.  Dodd’s mother passed away when her children were young, and her father accepted the responsibility for rearing the six children.  Dodd felt that her father deserved recognition for his efforts.  Father’s Day was first held in June in 1910.  

                The importance of this holiday cannot be overstated.  Fathers and father figures make great contributions in the lives of their children and other children and deserve to be recognized.  I have long been sympathetic for fathers because they do not usually receive accolades for their parenting.  Bishops and bishoprics in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nearly sweat blood in planning what to give to mothers and all women 18 years old and over.  They now that they cannot please every woman no matter what they do.  If they give chocolates, women on diets get upset.  If they give flowers or plants, women want chocolates.  Pity the poor Bishop that decides to give reading material of one kind or another!  I like the reading material much better than chocolates and even more than cut flowers.

                Father’s Day for the men is just another Sunday in the lives of Church leaders; the brethren do not worry at all about gifts for the fathers.  In some wards the Relief Society or Young Women organizations make gifts for the fathers – homemade candy, cookies, or something similar.  I think the men are grateful for whatever they get but especially for simply being recognized.

                President John Adams (1778) recognized the importance of the home:   “The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families….  In vain are schools, academies, and universities instituted, if loose principles and licentious habits are impressed upon children in their earliest years.”

                Mark Alexander of The Patriot Post wrote about fathers.  “The vital role of fathers has been extolled throughout history and in virtually every religion and culture.  In 295 B.C., Mencius wrote, `The root of the kingdom is in the state.  The root of the state is in the family.  The root of the family is in the person of its head.’”  Mencius was totally correct because the strength of the family lies in the type of leadership given by the father who stands as the head of the family. 

                Alexander discussed two decades of consequences from fatherless and “tens of millions of American children growing up in fatherless homes.”  He relied on “only the most reputable professional journals, national research organizations and polling firms.  Here is accurate data on the consequences for American children without fathers in their homes:  About 43% of children live without a father – more than 20 million children – and millions more have fathers who may be physically present but emotionally absent.  Forty-four percent of children living in poverty are fatherless.  Eighty-five percent have behavior problems, often `diagnosed’ as ADHD (or, as I refer to it, PDHD – “Parental Deficit in the Home Disorder”).  Children from fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of all homeless and runaways, 70% of youths in state-operated institutions, 71% of high school dropouts, 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers and 85% of all youths in prison.  Of course, women without husbands and children without fathers are at much greater risk of being victimized.

                “Most notably, however, 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father, which is to say they are perpetuating the misery.  And tragically, 72% of black children are born out of wedlock.

                “Arguably, the vast majority of social problems confronting our nation today originate in homes without fathers, which would include those without functioning or effective fathers.”

                Even though “most fatherless homes are the result of men putting their own interests ahead of their marriage and family,” there are other reasons.  One of those reasons is caused by women who cannot establish a good marriage with their husbands because of the lack of an appropriate daughter-father relationship.  Women who do not have a healthy bond with their fathers have more difficulty in developing a healthy marriage with her husband.

                We all know young men and young women who overcame dysfunctional families – whether it is a single parent, poverty, or abuse.  They are the minority and were blessed with someone instilling in them the values and virtues needed to succeed in life.  As a result they accept personal responsibility as opposed to the majority who refuse to accept personal responsibility and blame others for their problems.

                Alexander continued, “The failure of fatherhood is more than just a social problem; it is a menacing national security threat.  The collective social pathology of the fatherless has dire consequences for the future of Liberty, free enterprise and the survival of our Republic.”

                Our nation is facing big problems because of the millions of children who grow to adulthood without the influence of good fathers.  - We suffer from gangs of young people breaking laws and running around getting into trouble.  I believe the riots and destructions that take place across our nation – such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, – would not have happened if the young people had grown up in homes under the influence of good fathers.

               Elder L. Tom Perry explained how fathers can strengthen our nation:  “Satan, in his carefully devised plan to destroy the family, seeks to diminish the role of fathers.  Increased youth violence, youth crime, greater poverty and economic insecurity, and the failure of increasing numbers of children in our schools offer clear evidence of lack of a positive influence of fathers in the homes.  A family needs a father to anchor it.”

                Have you ever wondered why God chose to be called Father in Heaven?  The answer may be found in this quote from President Ezra Taft Benson:  “The sacred title of `father’ is shared with the Almighty.  … Fatherhood is not a matter of station or wealth; it is a matter of desire, diligence and determination to see one’s family exalted in the celestial kingdom.  If that prize is lost, nothing else really matters.”

                President Benson also said, “With few exceptions, righteous sons and daughters who have attained eternal blessings are not just physically begotten by their fathers.  They are spiritually regenerated by the examples and teachings of their fathers.  Great fathers lead their children to Christ.”

                Another good quote is this one from Elder Robert L. Backman:  “`Father’ is the noblest title a man can be given.  It is more than a biological role.  It signifies a patriarch, a leader, an exemplar, a confidant, a teacher, a hero, a friend and, ultimately, a perfect being.”

                If you like the above quotes, you can find more quotes about fathers here.  

               We have earthly fathers and a Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for my father and his influence in my life.  He showed us a good example but also made it plain that he expected us to become even better than him.  I am grateful for my husband and the good he brings into the lives of our children and grandchildren.  I am particularly grateful to all my sons – by birth or by marriage – who are fathering their own children.  I am truly impressed with the good they bring into their children’s lives simply because they are taking an active part in their upbringing.   Most of all, I am grateful to know that I have a Father in Heaven.  I am grateful to know that He has a plan for the happiness of all His children as well as an individual plan for me and you.  I am grateful to know that He lives and that He loves me.

Father's Day

                I hope all the wonderful fathers of children of all ages have a delightful and happy Father’s Day.  I believe that a righteous father can be a type and shadow of our Father in Heaven.  I know that I understand a lot more about Heavenly Father because of my earthly father.  Because of my earthly father, I know that my Heavenly Father loves me – as He does all of His children.  Father’s Day is a special day to remember all of our fathers.  I love this video entitled “Earthly Father,Heavenly Father” because it reminds me of how much my earthly father is like my Heavenly Father.

Father's Day

                I have spent many hours over the past few weeks pondering what I should write for Father’s Day.  I do not yet have any concrete ideas about what I want to share, but I will start typing and see what happens.  The thought that keeps coming to me is the fact that God, with all His power and knowledge, could have chosen any name for us to call Him, but He chose to be called Father. 

I marvel often about this fact, and I truly appreciate the video entitled “Earthly Father, Heavenly Father.”  because it illustrates so well the connection between our Father in Heaven and our earthly fathers.  An annotation accompanying this video states:  “Men on Earth have the opportunity to become fathers and experience some of the same joys that our Heavenly Father feels for us.  Fatherhood is a divine responsibility to be cherished.”

                Being in the younger half of a family of twelve children, I did not know my father as a young man.  He was thirty-eight years old when I was born and in his mid-forties before I was old enough to know much about him.  Then I knew him as the disciplinarian of the family and thought he was gruff.  In fact, I thought he was downright mean when I was a child, but as I matured I realized the difficulties of life in general as well as parenthood.  My father worked long and hard hours as a farmer, and then he also worked the graveyard shift at a Sinclair service station in town.  I now understand that he was probably exhausted most of the time and simply worn out with all his many responsibilities; then I was so self-centered that I thought my mother should get a divorce so we could move away from him.  Then I grew up.

                About 1977-1978 I wrote the following poem as a gift to my father and a similar one for my mother.  They were probably gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but I do not remember.  Both of my parents were pleased with my efforts and shared their poems with people who came to visit them.  My poem illustrates my growing appreciation for my father and the man he became.

                I used to think he was old and mean,

                But as I grew up, I became more keen.

                Hard work and lectures and spankings too

                Were what I needed to be good and true.

                He set the example, working hard all day.

                He always told us, “Work before play.”

                This is a lesson I’m glad I learned.

                Now I can teach it in return.

                He tilled the soil and planted the seed,

                “If we don’t sow, we cannot reap.”

                Life on the farm was hard and long,

                But twelve little children grew up strong.

                Although he was busy, he worked for the Lord.

                He held many positions in our ward.

                Genealogy and weekly temple work

                Are some of the duties he does not shirk.

                He sets good examples for our family.

                And he always counsels, “Be better than me.”

                With a father like mine, it’s easy to see

                Just how much my Heavenly Father loves me.

                I had a spiritul experience that taught me so much about how my earthly father was a mortal example of my Heavenly Father.  My mother died suddenly of a heart attack at age 70, and my father thought he would soon follow her.  He decided to distribute Mom’s earthly belongings and as much of their joint property as he could, particularly the family heirlooms.  He kept only his personal belongings and the furniture he needed to be comfortable.  He told us – his twelve children – to each make a list of the things we wanted.  We spent the afternoon going through the house and making our lists.  That evening Dad gathered us all together and divided his goods.  We received whatever was on our lists unless someone else wanted a particular item.  In such a case – such as with the family heirlooms - Dad decided who received the item, and we each accepted his decision.

                I spent a couple of weeks with my family in Utah before returning to my home in Alaska.  My first Sunday back home, I went to sacrament meeting and sat down near the back of the room.  I was doing okay until we sang the closing hymn, “Sweet Hour of Prayer” (Words attributed to William W. Walford with music by William B. Bradbury).  I started to sing this hymn, but I lost my composure near the beginning of it.  The words of this hymn reminded me too much of my recent experience with my earthly father.

Sweet hour of prayer!  Sweet hour of prayer! 

That calls me from a world of care

And bids me at my Father’s throne

Make all my wants and wishes known.

                I became so emotional at this point that I could no longer sing!  In my mind I saw myself kneeling at Heavenly Father’s throne to make my requests – just as I had recently sat near my earthly father and waited for his decision.  I knew in that moment that Heavenly Father listens to me when I come to him with my wants and needs just as my dad had done.  The video “Earthly Father, Heavenly Father” shows how earthly fathers act in similar ways to our Heavenly Father, and my experience with divinity taught me how much my Heavenly Father loves me. 

                We honor our earthly fathers at least once each year on Father’s Day.  Heavenly Father commands us to remember Him always and has designated the Sabbath Day as the day we give honor to Him.  Every Sunday is Heavenly Father’s Day!

Disposable Dads

                    Do you believe that fathers are disposable in our society today?  Many people do, but I do not.  I believe that God created us as male and female for a very important reason and that reason is for his children to be reared in homes headed by a father and a mother.  I believe fathers hold a very important place as the leader or head of the home with mothers as the heart. I believe that families can survive without fathers in the home but have great difficulty in prospering.

Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, reminded us of the importance of married biological fathers in the home:  "Dads are disposable.  This is the story now being told in certain precincts of our culture, from the Hollywood Hills - `Women are realizing it more and more, knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child,' in the words of Jennifer Anniston - to the Ivy League - Cornell psychologist Peggy Drexler recently wrote a book, Raising Boys Without Men, that celebrated women raising children without fathers.

                    "There is only one problem with this story:  it is a myth that does not fit the facts.

                    "Do not get me wrong.  I was raised by a single mom, and I think I turned out OK, as do many children raised in fatherless homes.  But as a social scientist, I can also tell you that one consistent conclusion from hundreds of studies on child well-being is this:  on average, children are much more like to thrive when they have the good fortune to be raised in a home with their own married father."

                    My father was a product of a "broken home" because his parents divorced when he was twelve.  The divorce was the culmination of years of separation and contention, but it did not stop the violence of a father toward his son.   He wrote in his autobiography, "My Mother has written in her story that she was a discarded wife and I think now that is about the way I felt.  The son of an unloved wife and I think I grew up with an inferiority complex - one to be worked as much as possible and given as little as possible.  I think this has had a great effect in my life.  I remember many mornings getting up and making the fire in the cook stove, doing the chores, and going to school without any breakfast because no one else was up to fix any and no one cared."

                    I did not know my paternal grandfather because he passed away before I was born, and I do not want to appear as though I am judging him or his fathering.  I can however state that Dad learned to be a father by personal experience rather than by following the example of his father.  Dad chose to set a different course than the one chosen by his own father.  He chose a life of spirituality and obedience to the commandments of God; he kept his baptismal, marital, and temple covenants.  He set the highest standards of temple and family history work.  He became a giant in righteousness, and his many descendants honor him as a great patriarch.

                    Dad taught us to become the best people we could be.  He told us not to judge our parents and grandparents and taught us that each generation should be better than the preceding one.  He lived his beliefs and became a good father and grandfather.  Just as my father grew and became a better man as the years passed, my view of Dad changed over the years.  I wrote the following poem for my dad as a gift for Father's Day about 1977-1978, and I think it pleased him very much.

                                I used to think he was old and mean,

                                But as I grew up, I became more keen.

                                Hard work and lectures and spankings too

                                Were what I needed to be good and true.

                                He set the example, working hard all day.

                                He always told us, "Work before play."

                               This is a lesson I'm glad I learned

For now I can teach it in return.

He tilled the soil and planted the seed,

"If we don't sow, we cannot reap."

Life on the farm was hard and long,

But twelve little children grew up strong.

Although he was busy, he worked for the Lord.

He held many positions in our ward.

Genealogy and weekly temple work

Are some of the duties he does not shirk.

He sets good examples for our family.

And he always counsels, "Be better than me."

With a father like mine, it's easy to see

Just how much my Heavenly Father loves me.

                                       

                    Many good men and women come out of broken homes, but I think they do so with great effort.  The greatest gift a father can give to his children is to love their mother.  The next greatest gift is to love the children unconditionally.  I am grateful that my children survived my education on being a mother; I am also very grateful that my grandchildren are being reared in homes where their fathers take an active part in the teaching and training of the children.  Fathers are a very important part of their children's lives, and they are not disposable!

                   

                   

                     

                   

Father's Day

Father's Day is a special day set aside to honor our fathers and to express our gratitude and appreciation for our fathers and to them. It became an official national holiday in 1972 when President Richard M. Nixon signed Father's Day into law.

Credit for the adoption of a day for fathers in the United States is given to Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. After listening to a sermon on Mother's Day in 1909, she got the idea for a day to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. Sonora's mother died in 1898, and her father raised the six children by himself. Through Sonora's efforts, Spokane celebrated the first Father's Day on June 19, 1910. Father's Day is now an official holiday celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

I am grateful for the fathers in my life: my own father, my father-in-law, my husband who is the father of our six children, and my sons and sons-in-law who are the fathers of my grandchildren. I especially love to watch my sons and sons-in-law being fathers to their children. It touches my heart in a way that nothing else does! To all of these special fathers, I say thank you and Happy Father's Day.

A father holds an important position in a family. He has the responsibility to 1) preside over his family in love and righteousness, 2) provide the necessities of life for his family, and 3) protect his family from all harmful influences.

Ephesians 6:4 reads, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

Gordon B. Hinckley, a modern-day prophet, said, "The father is the provider, the defender, the counselor, the friend who will listen and give support when needed. Who better than an exemplary father to effectively teach children the value of education, the dead-end nature of street gangs, and the miracle of self-esteem that can change their lives for good?" (See Stand A Little Taller, p 169.)

Just as being a mother is more than simply giving birth, being a father is much more than simply fertilizing an egg. The most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother and to insist that the children show proper respect to his wife and their mother. A recent study of the effect of marriage on poverty (1929-2008) shows that children have a much lower chance of growing up in poverty if their parents are married. The break down of the family in recent years emphasizes the important role that father fills in a family. In 1963, 93 percent of American children were born to married parents. Today the number has dropped to 59 percent. Children are fortunate if they grow up in a home that functions properly with father as the head of the family and mother as the heart. Fathers and mothers working together for the good of families are very important in establishing and maintaining a strong society.

Married fathers in the home gives stability to the entire family. Broken societies come from broken homes. Fatherless homes also are a principle reason for poverty. Fatherhood has not only "social or cultural consequences; it is a menacing national security threat. The collective social pathology of the fatherless presents a great obstacle to Liberty and the survival of our republican form of government as outlined by our Constitution.
"Father's Day should thus be a call to action. Indeed, the majority of social entropy afflicting our nation today originates in homes without fathers, which definition includes those without functioning or effective fathers." (Mark Alexander, publisher of The Patriot Post) [patriotpost.us/alexander/2011/06/16/who-needs-a-father]
I want to wish a happy Father's Day to all fathers and especially to those fathers who recognize the value of father being in the home and taking an active part in the family.