Father’s Day

By Michael Schwarz, LPC

Father’s Day is a day we take time to honor and celebrate those who have filled father roles in our lives. Traditional father roles include those of being a protector, a provider, a supportive individual to keep others safe, often with expectations of remaining stoic and handling intense experiences with little or no outward expression of emotion. This role can often be both challenging and rewarding, with intense pressure and expectations at times. I encourage you (as a father or otherwise) to challenge notions that encourage avoidance of emotional experience or expression, and be willing to talk about these valid and meaningful experiences, pressures of performing and providing for a family, and other pressures that contribute to stress and other concerns in order to foster enhanced support and genuine connection with those who hold a special place in your life (for more information about challenging stereotypes about being a man, ask us about men’s mental health and/or our men’s issues process group).

While most are likely to associate Father’s Day with biological father, I encourage you to consider various father figures that may have been present in your life, including biological fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, coaches, teachers, neighbors, and/or family friends, and take the time to express gratitude for the value and impacts that these individuals have had in your life. If you’re unable to spend time with or interact with these father figures on Father’s Day (for whatever reason), try to do something that would honor them in some way, or participate in some activity that reminds you of them or that you have enjoyed doing with them.

While it may be easy to get swept up in the routine of celebrating this holiday, take the time to mindfully engage with others. Share experiences and stories, ask questions to learn about things you don’t know, look at old pictures together, or simply slow down and talk about how things are going in life. I expect these types of interactions to be meaningful to fathers as well as others sharing in the experiences. I

hope each of you has a beautiful Father’s Day, and I’d love to hear about some of your own experiences or traditions to celebrate fathers and father figures in your life. Feel free to share in the comments below. Be well!