A few minutes ago, guest writer Flippant noted an unexciting resolution offered by Dennis Kucinich. Another resolution received approval in the House of Representatives today: It was a resolution recognizing Father’s Day.
That sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, consider the difference between the House resolution for Mother’s Day this year, and the House resolution for Father’s Day that was just passed.
The active clause of the Mother’s Day resolution:
“The House of Representatives celebrates the role of mothers in the United States and supports the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day.”
The active clause of the Father’s Day resolution:
“The House of Representatives– (1) commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children; (2) calls on fathers across the United States to use Father’s Day to reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children’s lives, to spend Father’s Day with their children, and to express their love and support for their children; (3) urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of the moral, academic, and spiritual development of children; and (4) encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.”
It’s hard not to see the difference. Mothers get unadulterated celebration from their congressional resolution. Father’s don’t. Sure, there is some recognition that there are good fathers, but that’s just the start. Most of the resolution lectures fathers about how to be better parents.
Are there fathers who need to learn to be better parents? Sure. But there are a lot of mothers who need to learn to be better parents too. Britney Spears, anyone?
Congress was right not to lecture bad mothers on Mother’s Day. It would have been tacky to do so. It’s a shame that the House of Representatives could not have shown the same respect to fathers on Father’s Day.
As a father, I can tell you that the last thing I want to hear on Father’s Day is a nagging lecture. If Congress feels the need to preach, let them save it for another time. I hope that Congress can do better than offering a backhanded Father’s Day resolution in 2009. It would be better to have no resolution at all.
