Thoughts About Father's Day

Soon it will be Father's Day; the third Sunday in June, declared a recognized day of national observance in 1972 by President Richard Nixon. Considering there are approximately 64.3 million fathers in America, can there be a paradigm of perfection for fatherhood? It's not always easy to separate fathers from dads; after all television and other media have set standards ranging from the remarkable dad who wore a tie while relaxing in his easy chair after work to the profound underemployed, social inept dud, but nevertheless a paternal commemoration should not go unnoticed.George Washington was our first President who led the colonists in the Revolutionary War, helped the original 13 colonies gain independence from Britain and was well known for his determination while leading our young country to freedom. He always down played his stature as President and served his country all the days of his adult life. As for having children of his own, George Washington had none, altho ugh he did help raise two of Martha's children from her first marriage as well as two of her grandchildren. Still he has been recognized as the Father of our country; his accomplishments and achievements surely would have been celebrated by an exceptional Hallmark moment.Fast forward to the twentieth century when television idealized the typical father of the 1950's. James Anderson in Father Knows Best epitomized the easy humor and wisdom of a most benevolent gentleman. Ask Betty, Bud or Kitten, the children of the perfect family growing up in the time when sass didn't exist. Much the same could be said for Ward Cleaver in Leave It To Beaver when he calmly solved every problem for Wally and Theodore; kid problems not totally unlike today's issues, but certainly addressed at the time in a world without the internet or text messaging. Even single dad, Ben Cartwright of Bonanza kept careful vigil over his three grown sons, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe. The 1000 acre Ponderosa serv ed as a moral backdrop for such social problems ranging from animal cruelty, physically challenged adults and children and even the homeless with Ben always demonstrating great humanity and generosity as a constant example of his high ethical standards.During the 1960's the social changes emerged with such father figures as Archie Bunker in All In the Family hardly what socially progressive son-in-law Michael, aka Meathead, could tolerate. It provided viewers with a sharp contrast of previous dads like Andy Griffith to Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and now turned the attention to bigotry, ignorance and insults, a paternal characteristic never before seen on television. Not following far behind came Homer of The Simpsons, showing a dad as a perpetual underachiever and poor role model.More contemporary television has taken both sides of the economics while still portraying father figures. Dan Connor of Roseanne always had a cold beer in the refrigerator; was occasionally unemployed, yet he was home every evening for dinner with the three kids, the sister-in -law, the misfit boyfriends and Roseanne. In sharp contrast and before President Obama ever thought of running for office, Heathcliff Huxtable, of The Cosby Show showcased the successful and affluent physician and his attorney wife in an African American family patiently and humorously raising five children in a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood.All in all, our concept of good dads and bad dads may not be defined by television, but by our own definitions and how our dads treat us or helped us. Nevertheless, congratulations to the good ones; and to the bad ones; here's hoping you can become a good dad; our futures depend on you.