The history of celebrating Father’s Day dates back 50 years ago, when President Nixon made it an official holiday. Much earlier (around 1910) a young lady named Sonora Smart Dodd, of Spokane, Wash., is given credit for originating the holiday. Her father was a Civil War veteran, who raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. I know how much work it was to raise three kids in a two-parent family, so it is hard to imagine how it would be in a single parent home. 

A gradual cultural shift of permissiveness toward single parenting can sometimes give the impression that fathers don’t really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fathers play an important role in the development of their children and families. Studies show that children with involved fathers are more successful in school, more ambitious, more self-confident with their identity, self-protective and self-reliant, less likely to drop out of school and less susceptible to peer pressure. 

It is so refreshing to see fathers who have become more involved with their families beyond the role of breadwinner. I saw it in my husband, John, and now in our son and son-in-law, Adam and Art. Taking the time to develop and nurture relationships with children pays off big in the end. Children with active fathers develop skills they can carry into adulthood. Self-esteem soars when dads are active participants in their children’s lives. Children come with their own unique personalities, temperaments and developmental timetables and dadas are an essential link to a child’s well-being. 

Here’s hoping that all of you reading this will take time to acknowledge the father or father figure who has had an impact on your life. A simple phone call or spending an afternoon working on a project together can be the most meaningful gift of all!

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. Contact her at 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.