Celebrating Fathers

With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, we thought it would be nice to share a few facts about the holiday along with ideas for celebrating with the dad in your life.

The concept of Father’s Day was created by Sonora Dodd, in Spokane, Washington, who was looking for a way to honor her widowed father. The mayor chose the birthday of Dodd’s father to observe the first Father’s Day in Spokane, in 1910. In 1966, President Johnson signed the official proclamation to designate the third Sunday in June as a day to honor all fathers in the United States. We have been annually observing the day since 1972, when President Nixon signed it into permanent law.

Using the latest available figures, the United States Census Bureau has released some interesting statistics about fathers in the United States.

• There are 72.2 million fathers in the U.S. (2014)
• There are 24.6 million fathers living in married couples with kids under age 18 in the home (2016)
• There are 2.0 million single fathers with kids under age 18, which makes up 17% of the overall single parent population  (2016)
  •   9% have 3 or more children
  •   40% are divorced
  •   38% are never married
  •   16% are separated
  •    6% are widowed

• There are 29.2 million fathers who are also grandfathers (2014)
• There are 209,000 stay-at-home dads. These fathers primarily care for younger children while their wives work outside the home. Collectively, they are caring for 392,000 children under the age of 15. (2016)

If you are looking for a gift idea for the dad in your life, popular tradition suggests things like ties, tools, sporting goods, fishing rods and golf clubs. Maybe take in a movie together or enjoy a nice lunch at his favorite restaurant. No matter what gift you choose, spending time over money is always a great choice, and hugs are free.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features; Father’s Day