Today, I’m going to take a look at Father’s Day. I know. It was last Sunday. I wrote this column on Sunday, so I think it still counts. But I do have a question. How are your Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations different – or are they?
In terms of expenditures, there is a great divide. For our moms, the average amount we spend for their celebration is $186 per mom for a total of $23.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. For our dads, we are spending about $135 per dad, with a total of $15.5 billion.
And Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have quite different histories. Mother’s Day was officially recognized by the US government in 1913. Father’s Day had to wait until 1972 to officially exist.
But who am I to judge? I never tried to figure out who was worth more. I always bought each of my parents gifts on their day. So why more for moms than dads? I think it is just ease. Moms have a wider list of stuff they like; dads, not so much. That’s why they are stuck with socks, underwear and cologne. Not from lack of love….just lack of options.
But at the chamber, we love our member dads. I see them light up when talking about their kids. Dads and granddads who coach their kids’ teams glow when they talk about their games. Stories of kid’s visits here and trips to visit their kids are told with total joy.
So this is what you need to know about our member dads at the chamber. You know them as savvy business owners. But I know them in a different light. They often work with their kids or their wives in that business. And it is amazing to see that collaboration.
In addition, I love how they interact with our female business owners. They totally treat them as equals. In that, I mean, they get the same criticism, bad jokes and smack talk that is leveled at their male counterparts.
So, I just wanted to let you know, they are not just good men, they are good people. And they are here to serve our community. And I promise, next year I will campaign to get them more than socks and underwear. Thanks for your service, Dads. I consider you my friends, I say, as they roll their eyes. Yes, you are my friends. And I hope you had a great Father’s Day.
Lynne Conlan is executive director of the South Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce. Call her at 813-634-5111, or email lynne@southhillschamber.com.