I’m convinced somewhere in the desert of Nevada, there’s a secret bunker whose earthen door is camouflaged by a sand-coated rock. Spy planes fly overhead to protect the occupants meeting within. Who’s there — the president? secretary of defense? No, more secretive and higher security than that. It’s the CEOs of every greeting card company around the world.
They toil day and night until they’ve filled their complimentary card store calendars with every holiday imaginable, all in the name of sales: Grandparents' Day, Eat Cucumbers for Breakfast Day, Mother-in-Law Day, Clergy Appreciation Day, and Step-family Day to name a few.
I was scanning the month of July in my free calendar and noticed “Parents' Day.” It’s the only other holiday besides Independence Day for the entire month. Wonderful. Another excuse for my mother to wallow in pity when I don’t mail a card.
Or is it? I did what any responsible person would do in this situation — I Googled it. “Let’s see what kind of goofball justification for a holiday this is,” I muttered to the dogs, who gave me the “If-you-don’t-have-food-for-me, kindly-do-not-disturb-my-slumber,” look.
Oops. It’s legit. National and Legal and Everything. According to Parentsday.com, “The establishment of Parents’ Day was the result of a bipartisan, multiracial and interfaith coalition of religious, civic, and elected leaders who recognized the need to promote responsible parenting in our society and to uplift ideal parental role models, especially for our nation's children.”
In 1994, after unanimous adoption by the US Congress, the president signed into law the resolution establishing the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents' Day, for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.”
So this has nothing to do with my mother? It’s about me, my husband, and our little nucleus of a family? Oh no, what if it’s another diatribe on healthy parenting to make me feel guilty for never wanting to play board games with my kids? “Mommy, wanna play Candyland?”
“Ask the dog to play, dear. Board games give mommy the willies.” I’m sure my kids have already added it to their lists for the therapist they’ll need after I get done scarring them for life.
I braced myself and read on.
“While recognizing there are many successful parents in a variety of family arrangements and circumstances, the National Parents’ Day Council strives to lift up the model of the two-parent family. Studies have consistently shown this family model, having both a father and mother, provides the best possible foundation for children’s growth, security, and lasting happiness.
“The National Parents' Day Council does not envision Parents' Day to be yet ‘another’ day to honor parents, but rather a day when parents honor their children and the God-centered family ideal, by rededicating themselves to manifest the highest standard of unconditional true love.”
Okay, I can do that.
Just don’t make me play a board game.
Karen Rinehart is a syndicated newspaper columnist, public speaker, and creator of The Bus Stop Mommies™. Her book, Invisible Underwear, Bus Stop Mommies and Other Things True To Life, is a popular read in book clubs, school pick up lines, and soccer fields. She enjoys hearing from readers across the States and as far away as Australia, Japan, and England. You can read more at www.busstopmommies.com. Karen lives in North Carolina with her two kids, two dogs, and one husband, where they attend St. James Catholic Church. (Well, they leave the dogs at home.)
