{"id":2268324,"date":"2024-06-15T03:16:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T07:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/father-hunger-fuels-the-persistence-of-fathers-day\/"},"modified":"2024-06-15T03:25:59","modified_gmt":"2024-06-15T07:25:59","slug":"father-hunger-fuels-the-persistence-of-fathers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/father-hunger-fuels-the-persistence-of-fathers-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Father Hunger Drives the Continuation of Father&#8217;s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffather-hunger-fuels-the-persistence-of-fathers-day%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2268324&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the continuing \u200drelevance of Father&#8217;s Day amidst criticism and the perceived devaluation of fatherhood in modern society. It \u2062suggests \u2062that despite negative propaganda against the nuclear family and traditional \u200bmasculinity, \u2064Father&#8217;s Day endures because of the recognized benefits caring\u2062 fathers bring to their children and\u2063 society. Father&#8217;s Day \u2062contrasts \u2062starkly with the \u2062narratives often promoted during Pride Month, particularly concerning gender ideology and varied modern\u2063 family structures like surrogacy, which\u200b it argues sideline the role of fathers.<\/p>\n<p>The piece reflects on the concept of &#8220;father\u2064 hunger,&#8221; an emotional\u200d void \u200bfelt by \u2064those who grow up without\u2063 a \u2064father, through \u2063cultural productions like\u200d literature and film that\u2064 emphasize the importance of\u200d father figures. Highlighting works like &#8220;To Kill a Mockingbird&#8221; and \u200dfilms \u2064such\u200c as &#8220;The Lion King,&#8221; it\u200b notes a decline in these family-centric stories in \u2062recent decades. The\u200b article \u2063also speaks of the mystique surrounding widower\u200b fathers,\u2063 illustrated by historical and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alert-someone-mailed-actual-potato-to-brian-stelters-house\/\" title=\"Breaking News: Brian Stelter Receives Unexpected 'Potato Parcel' by Mail\">media\u200b portrayals<\/a> \u2063that emphasize their nurturing role in the absence of mothers.<\/p>\n<p>it recounts the origin \u200dof\u2062 Father&#8217;s Day, initiated by Sonora Louise Smart Dodd in \u200c1909, inspired by her\u2063 widower father who raised his children \u2064single-handedly after his wife&#8217;s\u200d death. The\u2062 Father&#8217;s Day holiday was officially recognized much later \u2063in \u20631972. \u200cThe narrative concludes that\u200b despite\u2063 societal shifts, the appreciation for devoted \u2063fathers remains strong in American culture, demonstrated through the endurance of Father\u2019s Day and the \u2063stories that celebrate\u2064 paternal\u200c dedication.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>In an age filled with hostile propaganda against the nuclear family and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daily-wire-hosts-dissect-the-good-bad-and-ugly-of-controversial-internet-star-andrew-tate\/\" title=\"Daily Wire Hosts Dissect The Good, Bad, And Ugly Of Controversial Internet Star Andrew Tate\">devoted fathers<\/a> in particular, it is worthwhile to ask why the celebration of Father\u2019s Day persists.<\/p>\n<p>Most of us instinctively understand the connection between fatherlessness and social ills, such as crime, poverty, and mental illness. At the same time, we can see the calm and joy of children who are blessed with responsible and loving fathers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1972246646\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8490b2b950e64c3a7db7fa8a394ac613 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8490b2b950e64c3a7db7fa8a394ac613\"><\/div>\n<p>Maybe those are reasons why the tradition of Father\u2019s Day continues to hold sway in America, in spite of ideologues who hope to abolish responsible masculinity by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/hatewatch\/2023\/04\/18\/male-supremacy-core-hard-rights-agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">labeling<\/a> it as toxic, patriarchal, or a product of \u201cwhite supremacy.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Father\u2019s Day also takes place at the height of June\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/2024\/04\/26\/when-is-pride-month-2024\/73122512007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">barrage<\/a> of \u201cPride Month\u201d agitation. Central to the \u201cpride\u201d agitprop is a massive campaign for the erasure of sex differences through <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/07\/as-miss-maryland-and-a-military-pr-rep-this-man-in-a-dress-will-interact-with-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gender ideology<\/a> and the push for artificial reproductive technologies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/simplesurrogacy.com\/intended-parents\/pride-month-the-path-to-parenthood-as-an-lgbtqia-couple-or-individual\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">surrogacy<\/a> that serve to remove fathers \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JenniferLahl\/status\/1799177521696805195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as well as mothers<\/a> \u2014 from the lives of children. <\/p>\n<p>Still, the tradition of Father\u2019s Day endures, despite the thanklessness of the work of good fathers by a culture that seems to reject the very notion of fatherhood. That\u2019s because Americans actually love dads no matter how much the media instruct us to despise them.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fictional Portrayals of Fatherhood Are Testaments to Father Hunger<\/h2>\n<p>Many stories in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/number-of-young-americans-who-identify-as-lgbt-skyrockets-poll\/\" title=\"Number Of Young Americans Who Identify As LGBT Skyrockets: Poll\">popular culture<\/a> are especially instructive on the importance of good fathers and a reminder of the father hunger children experience.\u00a0In part, the term \u201cfather hunger\u201d describes the emotional starvation, confusion, and frustration that comes with the loss of a father through death, absence, neglect, or abuse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f9c58a579a04b33088c4164673805549 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f9c58a579a04b33088c4164673805549\"><\/div>\n<p>The Bible is <a href=\"https:\/\/stillfaith.com\/topics\/fatherlessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filled with references<\/a> that attest to the sorrows of the fatherless whom we are warned to treat well.\u00a0Psalm 68:5 reads: \u201cA father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The father-child relationship is also central to countless works of great literature, including Ivan Turgenev\u2019s novel <em>Fathers and Sons,<\/em> Harper Lee\u2019s <em>To Kill a Mockingbird<\/em>, and Charles Dickens\u2019 <em>A Christmas Carol<\/em>.\u00a0There\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/1219965\/stephanieosmanski\/fathers-day-movies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no shortage<\/a> of movies that zero in on the critical role of fathers, including \u201cThe Lion King,\u201d \u201cThree Men and a Baby,\u201d \u201cMrs. Doubtfire,\u201d and \u201cField of Dreams.\u201d However, you\u2019ll notice that the production of such beloved stories seems to have faded in the 1990s. It\u2019s no surprise that so few are produced these days.<\/p>\n<p>Especially edifying about the yearning for good fatherhood is the role of the single father in so many old television shows in America. Beginning in the 1950s, there were numerous shows about the single dad \u2014 or dad surrogate \u2014 who responsibly raises bereaved children, offering them comfort and purpose in life.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Mystique of the Widower Dad<\/h2>\n<p>Interestingly, the father who inspired the campaign for Father\u2019s Day was himself a widower. At 16 years old, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/culture\/article\/fathers-day-campaign-daughter-create-holiday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sonora Louise Smart Dodd\u2019s<\/a> mother died, leaving Sonora\u2019s devoted father to provide for her and her five younger brothers. The story goes that in 1909, when Sonora was listening to a Mother\u2019s Day sermon in church, she felt that fathers should be honored as well. Her campaign for Father\u2019s Day took six decades longer than Mother\u2019s Day, which was officially recognized in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson. It wasn\u2019t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed the legislation recognizing Father\u2019s Day \u2014 when Sonora Dodd was 90 years old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e15bfb4ddddaedf0f25505101e60509b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e15bfb4ddddaedf0f25505101e60509b\"><\/div>\n<p>The single father \u2014 particularly the widower father \u2014 seems to hold a special mystique in American stories. After recalling several TV shows that reflected that pattern, I did a little research. I discovered a wealth of information about them in Jim O\u2019Kane\u2019s website, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvdads.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TVDADS.com<\/a>, where he traces the evolution of the single TV father decade by decade from the 1950s to the 2020s. I\u2019ll focus here on a few popular single-dad shows I\u2019m familiar with. They were produced during the 1950s and 1960s, which happens to be the same era that brought us shows about intact suburban families, such as \u201cOzzie and Harriet\u201d and \u201cLeave It to Beaver.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fathers in the single-dad shows were single mainly because the mother was dead. The widower mystique persisted even after divorce became more accepted in the 1970s and 1980s onward. For example, the father in the popular 1987-95 series \u201cFull House\u201d was a widower. <\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Kane points out that the household help often served the role of \u201cstand-in mom,\u201d such as the cook Hop Sing in the all-male Cartwright household of everyone\u2019s favorite western, \u201cBonanza.\u201d Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) was widowed three times, so each of his three adult sons \u2014 Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe \u2014 were literally brothers from another mother.<\/p>\n<p>The same era brought us \u201cThe Andy Griffith Show\u201d in which Mayberry\u2019s Sheriff Andy Taylor is a widower who raises his young son Opie (Ron Howard) with the help of stand-in mom Aunt Bee. Another favorite was the widower Steven Douglas (Fred MacMurray) of \u201cMy Three Sons.\u201d His father-in-law, the children\u2019s grandfather, \u201cBub\u201d (William Frawley,) also a widower, is the stand-in mom who wears an apron while running the household. <\/p>\n<p>Another example is the \u201cCourtship of Eddie\u2019s Father\u201d (Bill Bixby), which focuses on a widower whose son hopes to find a new wife for him. This theme recurs in other stories such as Patricia MacLachlan\u2019s children\u2019s book <em>Sarah, Plain and Tall<\/em>, and is a nod to the mother hunger a bereaved child will feel.<\/p>\n<p>A few other shows with widower fathers in that early era were \u201cSky King,\u201d \u201cFlipper,\u201d \u201cThe Rifleman,\u201d \u201cGidget,\u201d and even cartoons like \u201cDudley Do-Right.\u201d Later series (in the 1970s) with different takes on the widower dad situation included \u201cSanford and Son\u201d and \u201cSt. Elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ever since, however, our culture has been trending toward a shallower portrayal of fathers who lack strong character or even a masculine identity. In recent decades, identity politics has inundated our culture with portrayals of fathers who identify as homosexual and\/or transgender, such as in shows like \u201cModern Family\u201d or \u201cTransparent.\u201d\u00a0In large part, that\u2019s because flooding popular culture with an LGBT focus \u2014 along with abolishing positive portrayals of traditional parenting \u2014 have been specific projects of the heavily funded <a href=\"https:\/\/glaad.org\/mediaawards\/35\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GLAAD Media Awards<\/a> since 1989.<\/p>\n<p>But if we look back at the earlier portrayals of traditional fathers, we can sense the father hunger that\u2019s at the root of Father\u2019s Day as a beloved tradition. On the surface, those previous shows may have served as light entertainment. But they tell a deeper tale that reflects a persistent desire for good fathers as a source of healing and joy in the face of loss. When we celebrate Father\u2019s Day, we acknowledge that endearing reality.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e1a103b0511579b46e6060133de43306 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e1a103b0511579b46e6060133de43306\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an era rife with negative views on the nuclear family and especially fathers, it&#8217;s important to reflect on why Father\u2019s Day still matters. The link between fatherlessness and issues like crime, poverty, and mental health is widely recognized. Celebrating Father\u2019s Day underscores the crucial role fathers play in societal health and individual well-being<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":2268325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-14-164524-e1718398863516-1024x578.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2268324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-14-164524-e1718398863516-1024x578.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2268324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2268324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2268324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2268325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2268324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2268324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2268324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}