One Daughter’s Wish to Honor her Father

Sonora Smart Dodd – The woman behind Father’s Day

In 1898, a young teen named Sonora Louise Smart lost her mother after childbirth to Sonora’s fifth sibling.  The chore of raising six children was left to husband and Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart on a rural farm in eastern Washington State.  He lived long enough to see Father’s Day as the beloved holiday that we celebrate today.

In 1909, following a Sunday morning sermon about Mother’s Day, she questioned why fathers were not honored.  She mad it her mission to establish a Father’s Day, wishing to celebrate it on her father’s birthday on June 5.   On June 19, 1910, Father’s Day was observed locally in Spokane, Washington.  Her efforts were, at times, met with jokes and mocking.  It wasn’t until a noted political leader William Jennings Bryan began to support her cause.

In 1916, United States President Woodrow Wilson approved the bill to establish an official Father’s Day.  In 1924, a formal proclamation issued by President Calvin Coolidge designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day and then in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed it as a presidential proclamation.  It wasn’t until 1972, Father’s Day was created as a permeant national occasion by President Richard Nixon.

In 1978 at the age of 96, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd died seeing her dream become a reality — honoring her father, her husband and other men like them.

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Teach Your Children Well by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park by Diane Arbus.

According to Song Facts.com, “Graham Nash wrote this. The lyrics deal with the often difficult relationship he had with his father, who spent time in prison.

Jerry Garcia performs the pedal steel guitar part of this track. He had been playing steel guitar for only a short period of time. Garcia played on this album in exchange for harmony lessons for the Grateful Dead, who were at the time recording their acoustic albums Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty.

Graham Nash (from the liner notes of their 1991 boxed set): “The idea is that you write something so personal that every single person on the planet can relate to it. Once it’s there on vinyl it unfolds, outwards, so that it applies to almost any situation. ‘Teach’ started out as a slightly funky English folk song but Stephen (Stills) put a country beat to it and turned it into a hit record.”

Deja Vu (released in 1970) was the first album the band recorded with Neil Young, but Young did not play on this.”

According to Wikipedia and this video, this song was immediately inspired by a Life magazine photograph by Diane Arbus titled “Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park.”

This picture prompted Graham Nash to pen down his thoughts on the social implications of messages given to children about war and other issues as well as his own relationship with his father.

 

Reunite Father and Son – Maze

Find more fun activities for Father’s Day at www.PrintActivities.com.

Happy Father’s Day

Connect the Dots – Happy Father’s Day

Connect the Dots by counting by 5’s. You can do it!
When finished, color and present it as a Father’s Day gift.

Count by 5’s to Connect the Dots. Find more activities: Click Here.

Father’s Day quotes

“Many men have children, but not many children have ‘Fathers’. Age releases to you reproductive skills. Fatherhood requires LEADERSHIP skills”
― Fela Durotoye

 

“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.”
― John Wilmot

 

“On the perfect Father’s Day. There would be just Dad, wearing his oldest surviving undershorts, free of pressure, maybe just sitting in front of the TV, watching the NBA finals. There would be no conversation, other than Dad periodically observing that these players today could carry the ball across Montana and never get called for traveling. … Of course, that’s not all. You’d also make a restaurant reservation, and at the end of the day, you’d dress up and go out and have a nice dinner, during which you’d propose a toast to Dad. Who would be back home, in front of the TV, happily asleep in his veteran underwear.”
– Dave Barry

 

“Listen, there is no way any true man is going to let children live around him in his home and not discipline and teach, fight and mold them until they know all he knows. His goal is to make them better than he is. Being their friend is a distant second to this.”
― Victor Devlin

 

“Finally coming to terms with Fathers Day. I blow as a Dad. I get it. No, I’m not an evil, abusive Father, it’s just that while all my intentions and thoughts have been out of love for my kids, my actions and behaviour never measured up.”
― Geoffrey Hill

 

“The only Father’s Day tradition in my family is the annual conversation he and I have where I say, ‘Hey, Dad, what do you want for Father’s Day this year?’ and he says, ‘Nothing.’ Then I ask my mom what I should get him and she says, ‘He likes sandalwood soap, dangly jewelry and Chanel No 5 perfume.'”
– Michael Showalter

 

 

“The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.”
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

 

“The best gift you can give to your kids is a happy marriage.”
― Ricky Shetty

 

“The greatest lessons I learned from my father didn’t come from lectures or discipline or even time spent together. What has stuck with me is his example. From watching, I chose whether to be or not to be like him.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

 

“I felt something I had never felt before, a mixture of fear and pride. I liked it. This was fatherhood. The biggest mistake anyone could make, and yet universally accepted. I had arrived.”
― Carl-John X. Veraja

 

“Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.”
– Red Buttons

 

“Why do men like me want sons?” he wondered. “It must be because they hope in their poor beaten souls that these new men, who are their blood, will do the things they were not strong enough nor wise enough nor brave enough to do. It is rather like another chance at life; like a new bag of coins at a table of luck after your fortune is gone.”
― John Steinbeck, Cup of Gold

 

“Having children is like living in a frat house – nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.”
– Ray Romano

 

“It is very easy to be a military strategist, a mercenary, or a king, but much harder to be a father.”
― Nadia Scrieva, Tides of Tranquility

 

“I’m very at ease, and I like it. I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn’t think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that’s happening to me. I’m rather surprised at who I am, because I’m actually like my dad!”
― David Bowie

 

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”
– Mark Twain (attributed)

 

“Today is not the real Father’s Day. It is the man made version. The real Father’s Day are the other 364 other days of the year that I get to see my boys grow into men and my girls grow into ladies and feel I had a slight part of the people that they turned out to be.Not a better feeling in the world.With every life lesson taught, half of which are understood at the time, and the other half that are understood after I am told to stop being ridiculous – EVERYDAY is Father’s Day.And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Good and bad.I can honestly say there is no feeling on earth, like being a father and a dad.” ― John A. Passaro

 

 

Happy Dad’s Day!

Cat’s in the Cradle – Harry Chapin

The author of this song is Harry Chapin‘s wife, Sandra “Sandy” (Gaston).  She is introduced along with her and Harry’s son, Joshua.

 

Watchin’ Scotty Grow – Bobby Goldsboro

What Father’s Day is All About

 

Bacon Chocolate Bark

Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen worked on this creation of chocolate and bacon.

Bacon and Chocolate: What more could you ask for?

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients: 

• 2 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
• Two 1 ounce squares bittersweet chocolate, unwrapped

Directions:
Place bacon on a rack in a shallow pan. Brush bacon with caramel sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until crisp. Once cool, cut into 1-inch pieces. Meanwhile, line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bittersweet chocolate square about 1-inch apart prepared baking sheet.

Bake chocolate for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Using a spoon, spread the chocolate to a thin even later. Place the bacon pieces on top.

Chill for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

From the BHG.com Test Kitchen:

To use a candy bar:
If you are using a chocolate candy bar, reduce baking time to 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Spreading is not necessary.