I always have mixed feelings around Father’s Day (which is this Sunday — don’t forget!). At the fiercely independent active senior living complex in which my mother lives, the staff always makes a huge big deal about Mother’s Day, complete with all sorts of thrilling festivities and a fancy champagne brunch. But when Father’s Day rolls around, it’s as if the men don’t exist, although there are plenty of them living there. You can practically kick the tumbleweeds around in the deserted hallways as you listen to the sound of crickets chirping in a nearby empty field — it’s like a ghost town.
Why don’t we honor our men more? OK, I understand that as we age, some men have a tougher time of things — after all, in the U.S. the male life expectancy at birth is 74.6 years, as opposed to 82.7 years for females — but perhaps this means we should value the men in our lives more, since the likelihood is they won’t be around as long. Of course, not all men are fathers (nor all women, mothers) … but still, I think they deserve equal treatment.
These thoughts may not have much to do with PT practice, but I am reminded of them by the sad faces of some of my male patients who aren’t honored for their fatherhood on this half-forgotten day. Since I tend to see all of my patients — and all people, for that matter — as being equally valuable, the societal discrepancy bothers me.
Although my own father succumbed to cancer many years ago, he used to enjoy going to the movies and having malted milkshakes or ice cream afterward. In fact, the last thing he managed to eat before slipping into a coma was a lime-flavored popsicle ... I wish now that I had the chance to spend another Father's Day with him.
What are your plans for Father’s Day?
Anne Ahlman, MPT
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