Father’s Day was celebrated and tributes poured in on social media and off it, mostly about what we love/miss about our fathers or about some of life’s greatest lessons they’ve imparted to us. This time around though, we thought we’d ask some of these special men what it is that they have learnt from their children over the years. Cynics tend to trash the hype around these special days and dismiss the commercialization attached to them. Why not look at it with a different perspective and enjoy the day? Why can’t we be glad at the sea of opportunities available to express and share our feelings? This Father’s Day (June 16), gives yet another opportunity to change the mindset and celebrate the special bond with a Father.
One should be able to think of something fun and special and why bother about remarks that advertisers cash in on sentiments. The love and respect will always be there but we don’t express it every day. On Father’s Day, we can share our feelings and make it a joyful one for the family. We tend to keep our parents’ happy and we are ready bent upon to do anything for that.
On seeing the celebrations, his eyes were radiant with happiness. The gift can be anything and the intention is more important than the actual gift that cheers him. Father’s day celebrations which involve elders bring joy especially among the little ones. It is always nice to celebrate Father’s Day or a Mother’s Day and make our parents feel important and special. Our actions go a long way in making our children understand about caring and bonding. When we give a gift to our parents, they understand the joy in giving. When we feel happy that our parents are happy, they learn the richness of our culture.
There is a lot of scope now; avenues for self-expression are many which were not available when we were children. Any celebration which strengthens emotional bonding adds a lot of value to one’s life. My father loves soaps very much. As a soap chemist he loves to have the Mysore Sandal soap by the side of his bed every day. The fragrance of Sandal soap spreads the real fun of the presence of father and his love for soaps. Instead of mass-produced greeting cards or a generic gift, how about talking and listening to him and trying to understand what a father feels. Giving gifts will definitely make parents happy but first, talk to them. The more children talk and listen to their parents, the happier they will be. The love he extended to me and my family members was somewhat touching and thanksgiving. When he get the news about my coming on a particular day, he used to wait at the entrance whether it is summer or winter climate and the look of him will provide the real thrill of a life time.
It is the unconditional love and support that makes the bond strong. Yet, there are inherent expectations in the father-son relationship. How much do fathers want their sons to be like or unlike them? Do sons usually model themselves after their dads and have this innate need to be affirmed by them?
On the eve of Father’s Day I felt that I am a proud son of my father. He gave me all in my life from education to job and no one else can give me so much and still did not expect anything from me. The importance of discipline in life and the resilience to achieve goals were instilled in me from childhood by my father. He always told me I need to be ruthlessly focused if I want to achieve results. From him I learnt we should always have a Plan B or contingency plan in life irrespective of what work we do.
I am glad that I did and I owe to him the success that I am enjoying today. From practically nothing, we created the valuable online currency exchange marketplace. He never taught me but showed me how to live modestly, be self-effacing and work towards what I want. Now it is time for me to take up the role of father and do a world of good to my loving children. It has been said that our children can be our greatest teachers if we are humble enough to receive their lessons, and going by what these fathers have had to say, there’s no arguing that while we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. There lies the real success of father-son relationship.
