Scraps of Wisdom

“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” (Umberto Eco)

Here are some interesting statistics on various aspects of fatherhood:

ü Approximately 52% of fathers say they are the primary grocery shoppers in the family. 11% of mom’s research the products they buy compared to 24% of dads.

ü A new study shows that fathers who share household chores with their wives tend to have more ambitious daughters (as well as daughters with more broad definitions of gender roles).

ü Over 87 million cards are sent each year on Father’s Day, making it the 4th most popular day for sending cards.

ü In the US, there are about 2 million single fathers.

ü There are about 152 million males in the United States. 70.1 million (46%) are fathers.

ü When fathers are involved in their child’s education, the children perform better in school, learn more, and exhibit healthier behavior.

ü The amount of time US fathers spend with their children has tripled since 1965.The number of stay-at-home dads has nearly doubled since 1989.

ü Average spending on Mother’s Day gifts in the US is about $168.94 compared to $119.84 for Father’s Day.

ü A male who has many brothers is more likely to have sons. In contrast, a man who has many sisters is more likely to have daughters.

ü A “patrophile” is a child who has more affection for the father than the mother.

it is estimated that the word dad began around the late 15th century. It is believed that it was simply derived from baby talk, as in many languages “dada” (or tata) refers to a baby’s acknowledgement of father. In other languages, the word is tad (Welsh), daid (Irish), tata (Greek), tete (Lithuanian), and tatah (Sanskrit).

Father’s Day cards go further back than Hallmark does. One of the earliest greetings dates back roughly four thousand years. Elmesu, a Babylonian youngster, carved a card out of clay to “wish his father good health and long life.”

A West Virginia church (on July 5, 1908) hosted the nation’s first event to honor fathers. During a Sunday sermon, the three hundred sixty-two men who had died in the December 1907explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, West Virginia, were honored in a one-time commemoration.

“Leading a family is the hardest job a man can ever have.” (Dave Ramsey)

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd (one of six children raised by a widower) held the first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910 in the state of Washington.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge was the first president to publicly support Father’s Day. In 1972, President Nixon’s signed an official proclamation to recognize Father’s Day as a federal holiday.

“Being a father has been, without a doubt, my greatest source of achievement, pride and inspiration. Fatherhood has taught me about unconditional love, reinforced the importance of giving back and taught me how to be a better person.” (Naveen Jain) [i]

Happy Father's Day

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[i] Sources used:

·       “15 Dad Facts for Father's Day” by Mangesh & Jason

·     “9 Things You Didn’t Know about Father’s Day” by Lauren Gordon

·       “Five Things You Didn’t Know About Father’s Day” by Annah Despain

·       “49 Interesting Facts about Fathers” by Karin Lehnardt