No doubt he will appreciate the thought and effort.
By ALAN BAUER
Sunday is Father’s Day, and while dads everywhere should be shown some love, the numbers don’t exactly add up for them.
The National Retail Foundation estimates about $15.3 billion will be spent for gifts, dinners, etc. this Father’s Day. That’s a lot of money, no doubt.
But that figure is far less than the estimated $23 billion spent on Mother’s Day.
Why is that? Do kids just love Mom more than Dad? Are mothers more adept at making their kids feel guilty if they don’t buy her a really nice, and expensive, gift? Have decades of bumbling TV dads –think Homer Simpson, Al Bundy, Herman Munster, etc. — so diminished the role of father in kids’ minds that they just don’t feel obligated to get him something nice on his special day?
Maybe, but there also could be more practical reasons why Mother’s Day outpaces Father’s Day when it comes to spending.
Mother’s Day came first — by a lot. President Wilson made it official in 1914. That makes Father’s Day almost the new kid on the block. While various types of celebrations have been around for a while now, it wasn’t made an official national holiday until President Nixon signed the papers in 1972. It kind of feels like an afterthought, right?
Also, consider the types of gifts that are given. A nice necklace, or even a bunch of freshly cut flowers, can cost a lot more than, say, a novelty tie. And moms probably prefer to be taken to a nice restaurant, while a lot of dads no doubt will be more than happy to grill up a few burgers and then fall asleep in front of the TV while watching a ballgame.
Nonetheless, on Sunday, you should do something to make Dad’s day a special one. Go all out, or do what many, or most, others do and keep it more basic.
Either way, there’s no doubt he will appreciate the thought and effort.
