Just(ice) for Fathers

Father’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world at different times of the year. Here in America the first Fathers Day was celebrated on July 15, 1906. It was organized by Grace Golden Clayton, in response to a deadly mining accident in Monogah, West Virginia that claimed the lives of 210 men including her father.

However, it was over a sixty year period beginning, in 1906 that Clayton and two other women, Sonora Dobbs and Margret Chase Smith who in this span of time, fought to make Father’s Day a legal holiday in this country. Collectively these women’s efforts had required the involvement of four U.S. Presidents (Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Bain Johnson). Finally in 1966 Johnson signed a bill that made Father’s Day an official holiday that falls on the third Sunday in June.

While Iam on the subject of Father, I thought you might find it interesting that non-human males who have offspring, for example the Waterfowls (geese, swans, gulls and loons) are very protective in raising their off spring and that Empress Penguins incubate their eggs (not the moms). If you saw the movie, “Happy Feet” you already know this. Beavers fiercely protect their off spring (along with the females during the first few hours of their children’s lives.  It’s not long after they are born, that the father begins to teach them how to search for materials needed to build and repair their own dams, this of course is a lesson in survival. Wolves are known to help feed and protect and play with their off spring as do Dolphins. Then there are the Silverback Gorillas, who’s  role  it is to protect their families from harm as well.

On the opposite side the father protection coin, male bears leave the female bears shortly after mating with them and they are known to kill and eat their cubs.  Geeze.   Obviously this fact totally kills the image of the friendly Papa Bear (as in warm and cuddly children’s story “The Three Bears”) or the Northern Toilet Paper television commercials!

Moving on.  Domestic dogs couldn’t care less about their pups. Unlike Wolves they are more likely to abandon the mother’s of their children right after mating with her. Hmm.

Male Lions, barely tolerate their cubs. Some are even mean and cruel to their young. But the cuddly Rabbit have more tolerance for their kits, though they tend to be a bit rough when playing with them, especially with their sons. Horse Stallions are in complete denial about their roles as fathers.  With some  species both the father of mother couldn’t care less about for their off spring, leaving them to their own devices to survive in the wild.

And lastly, I thought you might be interested to know that International Men’s Day (celebrated around the globe) falls on November 19^th each year!  

To all you dads out there, please enjoy your special day!

Moi,

Mahmoudah