Celebrate dad on his special day

Well, here’s a surprise … a Spokane woman was the founder of Father’s Day. On June 19, 1910, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd designated one Sunday in June, as a day to recognize and honor all fathers.

By 1916, Father’s Day had been officially recognized by and approved by President Woodrow Wilson. Today, Father’s Day, officially the third Sunday of June, is celebrated in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland and India.

Dad’s vital role in our lives notwithstanding, life with father wasn’t always “just a bowl of cherries,” but if we were lucky enough to have an “involved” father figure, we were definitely enriched by the experience.

My dad did the best he could, despite having to live in a house with, as he so affectionately chided us, “three @#$%&! women.” Although he was a CPA, he was an educator at heart and he relentlessly pursued the thankless (hopeless?) task of turning his frivolous little girls into intellectual giants.

Every night at the dinner table, Dad offered up the vocabulary “word of the day.” And, sometimes he would even spring a “logic” riddle on us. I’ll never forget this one: “There were two Ethiopians sitting on a fence. One was the son of the other but the other was not the father of the son. What was their relationship?” About this time, there was a lot of covert eye rolling between us girls.

No matter how much we pleaded, he would never reveal the riddles’ answers – “Well, think! Use your noggin,” he’d taunt. The first one to figure out the answer was the smartest one – and that, of course, was a good thing.

“I’m just a cantankerous old curmudgeon,” my father would say in his own defense, when he knew he’d just ticked off every female in the house. Pretty clever of him; it always disarmed us, made us laugh and we would forget why it was that we were mad at him in the first place. Dad was famous for taking these two-bit words and crafting them into unforgettable quips.

Every Father’s Day, indelible memories of our father fill our thoughts. Dad, Daddy, Pa, Pop, the Old Man, by whatever name he was known, was our best friend and toughest critic. He offered us a strong shoulder to lean on when the chips were down and he was always (well, almost always) somebody who was on our side.

The legacy our dads leave us, despite all their personal flaws and weaknesses, yet their fortitude and wisdom, walks through life with us. Those things we most admired or disliked about Dad inevitably shaped our own values, attitudes and personalities.

It seems the older we get, the more fully we realize and, yes, sometimes even appreciate, what we learned from Dad – things learned mostly by example, and not necessarily by the belt. Although there were a few lessons learned that way, too.

If you can still talk to your dad, be sure to tell him the things you want him to know. Settle any differences; forgive him and thank him. Unfinished business with our parents does not die with them. It’s infinitely more satisfying to put hard feelings to rest, by conversing face-to-face, or over the telephone with him, than finally doing it – many years later in a one-sided conversation.

Whether your dad is teeing off on that perfect golf course in the sky, or if he’s still a member of the living, Father’s Day is a perfect day for you to share recollections with your children, about the memories you have of your father … their grandpa. Tell them what their grandpa was really like – tell it all, the good, bad and the ugly. Talk about his achievements, his failures, and your funny stories about him. Laugh and reminisce about your family’s “good old days.”

Make this an enriching Father’s Day. Spend it with your dad – that once invincible paragon of wisdom and strength – whether it’s in real time, or through a virtual visit with that unforgettable old guy.

You may be surprised by how much your family enjoys this! It emphasizes the continuity of life and how the beat goes on. One day our kids will be telling stories about us to their own families.

And, in case you didn’t guess, the two Ethiopians, sitting on the fence, are mother and son. What else?