MME Wealth and Wellness Minute: š Fatherās Day | A Good Father Is Worth a Hundred Teachers
Good morning. Itās Sunday, June 15th, Fatherās Day. In 1910, in Spokane, Washington, a young woman named Sonora Smart Dodd proposed a day to honor her fatherāa Civil War veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. The idea spread slowly. But by 1972, thanks to Sonoraās persistence and a shift in how the culture viewed men at homeānot just at workāFatherās Day became a national holiday. And what a fitting tribute to men who teach us not just with words, but with presence. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said: āA good father is worth a hundred teachers.ā Because fathers teach by showing up. They instruct by sacrificing. They lead by loving when no oneās watching. š Fatherhood, By the Numbers ⢠61% of U.S. men are dads ⢠93% say being a father is central to their identity Children with engaged fathers are: ⢠39% more likely to get Aās ⢠60% less likely to be suspended ⢠2x as likely to succeed socially and emotionally Itās no exaggeration to say: Fathers shape futures. Not perfect fathers. Not famous fathers. Just present ones. Grounded ones. Guiding ones. The ones who wrestle on the floor, pray over bedtime, mow the lawn, coach the team, work the early shift, and do the dishes without fanfare. The ones who live by the quiet conviction that providing isnāt just about moneyāitās about modeling a life worth following. As Scripture puts it: āLike arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in oneās youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.ā (Psalm 127:4ā5) So hereās to the arrows. Hereās to the quivers. Hereās to the dadsābiological, adoptive, step, spiritual, and stand-ināwho are building something that will outlast them. Today, we donāt just say Happy Fatherās Day. We say: Thank you for showing us the way. And we remember: Itās fathers who are blessed. š