The Commercialism of Father’s Day Fires a Dagger to Many Hearts
Be kind to yourself on a day filled with nuance and complexity
How many marketing e-mails have you received about Father’s Day? Like Mother’s Day’s complexities, Father’s Day scratches at past traumas for many people.
So this Father’s Day, I am thinking of all those for whom this isn’t such a buoyant day.
Maybe you’ve lost your Father or a child.
Maybe you are estranged from your Father or child.
Perhaps you aren’t a Father but desperately want to be.
You might have a difficult relationship with your Father.
If you are celebrating today, please be mindful of all those around you who have different lived experiences of Fatherhood.
Gone but not forgotten
Scanning through social media, I have already seen at least ten dedications to Fathers who are no longer with us. Candid images of a snapshot in time, full of love and smiles.
In Rose McGowan's book Brave she writes:
“I would watch kids with their dads and I would get jealous.”
I, too, would watch. I know that uncomfortable tugging at my nervous system of obser…