Today, we celebrated our forefathers, our present fathers, and, in spirit, all of the men who have had a positive influence in our lives and the lives of our children.

When I was:

Four years old: My daddy can do anything.
Five years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.
Six years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.
Eight years old: My dad doesn't know exactly everything.
Ten years old: In the olden days, when my dad grew up, things were sure different.
Twelve years old: Oh, well, naturally, Dad doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
Fourteen years old: Don't pay any attention to my dad. He is so old-fashioned.
Twenty-one years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out of date.
Twenty-five years old: Dad knows about it, but then he should, because he has been around so long.
Thirty years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.
Thirty-five years old: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
Forty-five years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise.
Fifty-five years old: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.

Writer Unknown

History of Father's Day

It is William Smart, a Civil War veteran, and his daughter Mrs. John B. Dodd, we have to thank for inspiring the first "father's day." Sonora Dodd of Washington first proposed the idea in 1909 as a way of honor her father who was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. After Mrs. Dodd became an adult, she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. During a Mother's Day sermon she got the idea to pay tribute to her dad the month he was born. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington.

At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to call out one day to recognize their fathers. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national day of appreciation and recognition. It has only been since 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation that calendars now proclaim the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Father's Day has become a day to honor one's father and all father figures in our lives, including stepfathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, coaches, mentors, Big Brothers, surrogate dads and uncles, and adult male friends.

Happy Father's Day and thank you to the greatest dad of all, Robert Eliot.

To Timothy Charles. To his late-father, Wally. To our brothers Bradford and Alan, and our "Chinese brother" Min. To Uncles Ken, Gabe, Brad, Dave, Steve, Guy and Jack -- aka Uncle Whoziwhatsit. To my cousins Will, Tim and Jimmy. To "Uncle" T.C., Steve, Jeff, Neal, Derek, Magnus, Peter, Dan (who is also a new dad) and our Italian Uncle Andrea. To our surrogate "Swedish Grandpa" Rune. To our good friends, new dad of three days, Chris. To father of three girls Howard. To adventure dad Stein. To ex-CEO now full-time dad James. To our bon vivant friend and father of two Peter. To father of four boys, Tony. To Dave, a dad who lost his son to suicide. To Coach Phil. To Ron and his partner George, who will never be fathers but will always be surrogate uncles and amazing role models. To celebrity role model fathers we have grown up with like Bill Cosby. To U.S. Open winner, South Africa's Retief Goosen (father of a fifteen-month-old son, Leo) who was introduced to the game of golf by his father, Theo at the age of eleven. And to runner-up Phil Mickelson (father of three). As well as to all the men reading this article who dream of being a dad.

Here's to having a young dad. Here's to young dads, new dads and ol' dads.

Who are your male role models?

Politicians: Ronald Reagan? Arnold Schwarzenegger? Bill Clinton? George Bush?

Professional Athletes: Steve Young? Bubba Parris? Ronnie Lott? A.C. Green? Brent Jones? Kurt Warner? Paul Azinger? Orel Hershiser? Casey Martin? Michael Chang?

Actors: Robert Duvall? Martin Sheen? Denzel Washington? James Caviezel?

We are curious to know.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Grateful to have been able to make my husband a father, ~jck

"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right." -- Bill Cosby