Father's Day and Mother's Day

[askandanswer]

We celebrated Father’s Day in Australia last week, so all the Sacrament talks were about fathers and their duties and responsibilities and what they should be doing. I’m pretty sure that by the end of the meeting, most, or maybe all of the fathers would have been squirming in their seats, afflicted with a guilty conscience as they were reminded of all the things they should be doing and perhaps haven’t been doing.

 

My recollection of Mother’s Day last May is that all the talks were about mothers and how wonderful they are and all the sacrifices and service they do for their family. I think that by the end of the meeting, most mother’s would have been feeling happy and proud and grateful to be mothers.

 

Father’s feeling guilty because of their shortcomings, mother’s feeling happy because of their successes. Is this how it goes in other wards, or is thing something unique to my ward?

 

 

[Guest]

I think that's how the talks tend to go, but the mothers don't go home feeling good. They go home feeling like everyone but them is a perfect mother (or feeling badly because they aren't a mother yet). 

 

Can't please everybody, or anybody, really.

[Vort]

Used to be that way in US wards, too, at least in my experience. Maybe it still is in some places, but for a long time now my experience has been that Father's Day is a celebration of fathers instead of a stern lecture of where we're failing. Much more equitable.

[f1lbr]

Honestly, the last few Father's Days in our ward only mentioned fathers in passing.  Whereas on Mother's Days mothers are extolled extensively (as well they should be).  Our ward has a lot of divorced sisters.  I sometimes wonder if the lack of Father's Day comments about fathers is simply because it is too sensitive of an issue for too many people in our ward.

[Palerider]

We emphasize Mothers Day more than Fathers Day

[askandanswer]

We emphasize Mothers Day more than Fathers Day

 I wonder if that's just an LDS thing, or just a western culture thing or is it universal?

[Irishcolleen]

It is not just an LDS thing.  It is a Baptist thing, too. I think people assume  you need to be more gentle with mothers and assume that men are hard-headed.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Irishcolleen

[pkstpaul]

Avoiding the guilt trip has become extreme in our ward. This year, Mother's Day almost completely avoided the word Mother. It was odd, to say the least. Father's Day seemed to find the balance this year.

[Guest]

We celebrated Father’s Day in Australia last week, so all the Sacrament talks were about fathers and their duties and responsibilities and what they should be doing. I’m pretty sure that by the end of the meeting, most, or maybe all of the fathers would have been squirming in their seats, afflicted with a guilty conscience as they were reminded of all the things they should be doing and perhaps haven’t been doing. ... Father’s feeling guilty because of their shortcomings, ...

I would like to learn more about the contrast between fathers' duties and mothers' duties as it was preached in your meeting. I know many people traditionally associate different roles to each parent for obvious reasons. But I personally never came away from a Fathers or Mothers Day oriented meeting where I felt guilty, so I'm curious about what was said in the meeting(s) you attended.

Edited September 15, 2015 by UT.starscoper

[askandanswer]

I would like to learn more about the contrast between fathers' duties and mothers' duties as it was preached in your meeting. I know many people traditionally associate different roles to each parent for obvious reasons. But I personally never came away from a Fathers or Mothers Day oriented meeting where I felt guilty, so I'm curious about what was said in the meeting(s) you attended.

Just the usual stuff about father's responsibilities - providing for the family, leading, teaching, disciplining, setting an example, protecting his family from bad influences, setting the standard. For mums its usually about loving and nurturing, being close to their children, counselling their children, being a peaceful influence in the home, being someone who the children can always bring their problems to and just being there.