Father's Day is always
the third Sunday in
June.
Father's Day honors the
role of dads and men who
serve in father-like
roles in the lives of
others.
Fathers, grandfathers,
stepfathers,
fathers-to-be all have a
day to stand in the
spotlight on Father's
Day. As
"non-traditional" family
structures become more
common, any nurturing
man – "big brothers,"
brothers-in-law, uncles,
neighbors and others who
are "like a father" – is
likely to be honored on
Father's Day.
Father's Day originated
in the United States in
1909 when a woman named
Sonora Dodd came up with
the idea. Mrs. Dodd's
father, William Jackson
Smart, had raised her
and her five siblings
after their mother died
in childbirth. While
listening to a
Mother's Day sermon
at a church near her
family's home in eastern
Washington State, Mrs.
Dodd thought about the
sacrifices her father
had made for his
children and the fine
job he had done in
raising them. Because
her father had been born
in June, she decided to
encourage the churches
in her area to honor
fathers in June. Through
her efforts, the first
Father's Day was
celebrated in Spokane,
Washington, in June
1910.
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