It's Father's Day this Sunday

[Bubbles]

Just a reminder.

I think we need some good news.

 

[Rhiannon]

Yeah, that works for people whose dads have died.

Sorry, I know you mean well, but...

[Bubbles]

Yeah, that works for people whose dads have died.

Sorry, I know you mean well, but...

 

[Rhiannon]

The reminder's good. It's just not going to be good news for everyone for a whole load of different reasons.

[Brownie]

Our husbands, who are fathers, maybe.  I was thinking about that earlier today, I expect my son will take the old man out for a meal but not Sunday as he is working.  Saturday I expect, me too of course if I feel well enough.

[Rhiannon]

You not great, Brownie? 

[Brownie]

Thank you Rhiannon.  In the immortal words of Gloria Gaynor, ''I will survive''.    I seem to take one step forward and two back.  At the moment, I am concerned about the three days away I have booked for the end of next week.  I feel I shouldn't have booked anything, I can never be really confident.  Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

[Rhiannon]

Oh bless you, I get it. I absolutely love being away but have anxiety and panic for the week or so beforehand to the point where I wish I'd never booked it. These days I'm good when I'm there but it wasn't always thus.

[Owlswing]

The reminder's good. It's just not going to be good news for everyone for a whole load of different reasons.

Ain't that the truth!

[Bubbles]

Thank you Rhiannon.  In the immortal words of Gloria Gaynor, ''I will survive''.    I seem to take one step forward and two back.  At the moment, I am concerned about the three days away I have booked for the end of next week.  I feel I shouldn't have booked anything, I can never be really confident.  Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

Sorry to hear you are not feeling too well, and hope you feel better soon and enjoy your time away.

I'm off to a shanty festival soon in Cornwall, singing sea songs, drinking rum etc. I've told work I'm off on holiday, training, to be a pirate.
 

They already think I'm nuts, anyway  so it won't make much difference.

It's a pity my other half no longer has that plastic blow up parrot he had, but someone had a gammy leg at work and he gave it away.

 

I too sometimes wish i hadn't agreed to go somewhere or book something, but I keep telling myself that 80% of life is being there.

 

The things I worry about are things like did I book things properly?, are they expecting me., getting to the airport etc.


I wish it would stop raining 

[Hope]

Father's Day tends to be ignored in our family.  After all, its just another commercial hook to get people buying stuff - often tat by what I've seen in the shops.

We tend to remember our various fathers (our household represents 4 different fathers scattered across the globe, at least 2 of whom are no longer with us) at various other times of the year.

[floo]

Another American import. It often coincides with my husband's birthday as it does this year. Neither us sent our fathers father's day cards.

[L.A.]

I'm rather hoping that the kids will take me to the pub and buy me lots of beer 

[Harrowby Hall]

I dislike the concepts of "Father's Day" and "Mother's Day". They are both, as Hope has said, commercial inventions designed to rob children of their pocket money. And they are imports from the USA. I ask my children (and they are adults) to have nothing to do with Father's Day. I am rather disappointed that sometimes they choose to ignore my request.

Mother's Day is even worse. Commercial interests have stolen a religious festival, Mothering Sunday, to use as a cash cow. I have acquaintances who, even after detailed explanations about families visiting mother church on Laetere Sunday, still consider it to be "Mother's Day". At least in the USA Mother's Day is in May.

[Brownie]

Another American import. It often coincides with my husband's birthday as it does this year. Neither us sent our fathers father's day cards.

Like my old man floo, his birthday is on Friday.
Never made a big thing out of Father's day but a card is nice, if anyone remembers :-).

[floo]

Like my old man floo, his birthday is on Friday.
Never made a big thing out of Father's day but a card is nice, if anyone remembers :-).

I don't think my husband is fussed, anymore than I am fussed about Mother's Day cards.

[Rhiannon]

I dislike the concepts of "Father's Day" and "Mother's Day". They are both, as Hope has said, commercial inventions designed to rob children of their pocket money. And they are imports from the USA. I ask my children (and they are adults) to have nothing to do with Father's Day. I am rather disappointed that sometimes they choose to ignore my request.

Mother's Day is even worse. Commercial interests have stolen a religious festival, Mothering Sunday, to use as a cash cow. I have acquaintances who, even after detailed explanations about families visiting mother church on Laetere Sunday, still consider it to be "Mother's Day". At least in the USA Mother's Day is in May.

To be fair, historically Mothering Sunday was the day in which young people in service were allowed to go home and visit their families, and it's the continuation of the tradition of this as a time of families coming together that has got muddled with the American Mothers' Day. It was always a big celebration in my family, which has Catholic heritage.

[Harrowby Hall]

..., historically Mothering Sunday was the day in which young people in service were allowed to go home and visit their families ...

... and, as a family, visit their "mother" church - the main church or cathedral in their locality. This is where the term "Mothering" came from. It was practised widely in both catholic and protestant countries on the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

Commercial interests have distorted its original meaning.

[Brownie]

Very true HH, but I certainly liked spoiling my mother and mother in law on Mothering Sunday and they enjoyed it - they'd have been hurt if I'd ignored it.  I don't care so much about myself, it's not important to me but I am usually remembered - sometimes a day late  .

[Rhiannon]

... and, as a family, visit their "mother" church - the main church or cathedral in their locality. This is where the term "Mothering" came from. It was practised widely in both catholic and protestant countries on the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

Commercial interests have distorted its original meaning.

That was still a day for being with family. And the tradition of giving flowers to all the mothers in my family (we'd have my mum, grandmothers, aunts all together) goes back to well before I was born. It's possible that the Irish connection explains it, I don't know.

The commercialism is annoying and as a mother myself I find it deeply patronising that I'm supposed to get a pat on the head once a year. But the tradition of this as a day for a family celebration is very old.

[Gordon]

I have to say I'm with HH on this: if my kids (all adults now) were to bother with Father's Day I'd be annoyed and they know it, so they don't.

However I'm quite partial to being spoiled on any of the other days of the year, and they know that too.