OK - 5 days to go to Father's Day and here's a little clip from the youtube archives. Def Jam's Shihan on the very topic ...

-Stef

Today is the day for all fathers in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Honduras and Bolivia. Here's our message to you:

Feliz Día del Padre!
Felice Giorno del Padre!
Feliz Dia do Pai!
Fröhlicher Vatertag!

And by sheer coincidence (or following yesterday's post) I got sent a msg from one of the world's largest manufacturers of jigsaw puzzles about Father's Day in Spain.

It's about creating a personalised puzzle made from photos. Nice idea for a father's day gift - especially if you spend some of your time on father's day putting it together with your kids!

-Stef

A very happy father’s day to all father’s celebrating this day that recognises fathers.
Today DIYFather was invited to attend and be involved in a Father’s Day celebration held at Capitol E, Civic Square, Wellington.

The event was organised by Jigsaw and supported by, Capitol E!, Wellington Rugby Lions, Classic Hits and DIYFather.

Entertainment came by a one man Pirate Show, thank you Captain Fearless Fickletummy for a very entertaining morning.

Special guest Cory Jane from the Wellington Lions.

We recently found out about a reminder service for gits called SomeoneSpoilMe.com. A good idea? Certainly. The site is well put together and features daily gift ideas as well as a reminder service (although the navigation is a bit cumbersome and it seems there are still a few bugs left to tidy up). The site design and imagery is clearly targetting women - which is fine of course. Unfortunately Father's Day (in the US) seems to bring out the worst in stereotypes and generalisations about what fathers like and someonespoilme.com is no different in their approach. So they end up being another site that strengthens the image of fathers as the "dim-witted parent who is really only good for bringing home the bacon (see below)".

Example of the day from someonespoilme.com:

"Cheers to Dad! (Posted Monday 9 June 08)

An article was submitted to DIYFather by one of the many mother's sites online. The article is dedicated to fathers on their special day "Father's Day".

However this article in my view is not dedicated to men or even written for men as an audience but rather an attempt to be-little men as fathers to their female readers.

...These were just two examples of the fathers in the animal kingdom. Fathers I mean human fathers this time; have more responsibilities towards their kids and they strive to fulfil them in a rather clumsy way [no offense dads!]just to please their little ones, which is admirable and cute most of the time I should say… so in order to appreciate them in a special way Father's day is celebrated every third Sunday of the month of June...read the whole article

But then why send it to DIYFather??? clearly DIYFather is a site solely dedicated to Men as Fathers, so mothers really think it is acceptable to belittle our abilities as fathers?

In celebration of Father's Day, the filmmakers behind the "Evolution of Dad" documentary project filmed close to 150 people around New York City, talking about their dads. The interviews are touching, funny and sometimes heartbreaking. We hope you enjoy the videos and share them with those you care about this Father's Day.

It may not be Father's Day today, but as a father it is great to hear the appreciation and love for fathers.

Call your father

Warm Regards

- Eric

In celebration of Father's Day, the filmmakers behind the "Evolution of Dad" documentary project filmed close to 150 people around New York City, talking about their dads. The interviews are touching, funny and sometimes heartbreaking. We hope you enjoy the videos and share them with those you care about this Father's Day.

It may not be Father's Day today, but as a father it is great to hear the appreciation and love for fathers.

Call your father

Warm Regards

- Eric

The team at DIYFather wish all dads in New Zealand and Australia a happy Father's Day! Today is your day - we hope you can spend it with your kids and family.

Interestingly, Wikipedia defines this day as follows:

Father's Day is a secular celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and parenting by males, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving to fathers and family-oriented activities.

Only New Zealand and Australia celebrate father's day today (first Sunday in September). Most countries celebrate it on the 3rd Sunday in June.

Whatever the date - it's great to see dads all over the world celebrating it!

It may be no surprise for you guys to know that fathers survive on an average 42 minutes' less sleep a night than other men.

Here are some 'father figures' released on Father's Day in Australia and New Zealand:

* In 2008, a new baby was a Father Day's present for 143 men.

* The average age of fathers of new babies is 33 years, but one in 100 babies has a father aged 50 years or over.

* Today's newborn babies have fathers who are, on average, four years older than their own fathers were when they were born.

* Over a lifetime, fathers have on average seven fewer Father's Days, than mothers have Mother's Days. This is because men generally start parenting later in life and women have a longer life span.

* The first Father's Day is thought to have originated in Babylon over 4000 years ago.

* The modern Father's Day celebration had its origins in the US at the turn of the 20th century.

Thank you Statistics New Zealand

-Stefan

DIYFather wishes all dads in Australia and New Zealand a happy Father's Day 2009. This year the three directors of DIYFather Scott, Eric and Stefan have made it their mission to help a group of dads in difficult circumstances on Father's Day. Today 10 fathers at Ronald McDonald House in Wellington received special dad packs with gifts and treats for the whole family.

On Father's Day it's easy to remember that dads are heroes in many different forms – there are the Super Hero Dads, the Sports Hero Dads, and the DIY Hero Dads to name a few. A less known type of Dad is the Unsung Hero Dad. All of the superhuman powers and skills combined wouldn't cut it in the environment that these Dads face on a daily basis. The environment of Unsung Hero Dads is a special care facility and this group of outstanding Dads who will be spending their Father’s Day providing comfort to their children deserve a special mention today.