Yes, Father's Day. The day when sons and daughters are supposed to go up and greet dad with the obligatory ''Happy Father's Day.'' Or for those who live far away, call him up (or text for the laziest of bastards). Like Mother's Day, it's nothing but an excuse to buy more shit and to force people to go out of their way to show an artificial type of love. Society pressures you to go out to dinner or buy gifts, otherwise you are seen as an unloving chump. Commercials pop up, proclaiming ''YOUR DAD IS THE GREATEST, SO BUY THIS SHIT FOR HIM NOW!!!!!!'' Phone commercials are among the worst offenders of this.
For those with complicated, bitter, or uncomfortable relationships with their fathers, or parents in general, it's a day when unfavorable memories may resurface, and awkward new memories may form. And let's not forget about the many people who, for a variety of reasons, do not have fathers.
Father's Day and Mother's Day should be no different than a normal day. If you truly love and respect your parents (or parent), then show them in your own way, not because of what some obligatory ''holiday'' says, but because it feels genuine and real to you. And if they love you back, they won't need for you to prove that respect and love with some stupid gift or expensive dinner.
I feel exactly the same way. Same with Valentine's Day and all the rest. People think it is so thoughtful when you get them something....lol...it's thoughtful if you do it because you want to, aka on a random day with no pretense.
ReplyDeleteBtw, speaking of painful reminders, that's another good point. My friend cries every father's day; it brings up painful memories.