Father’s or Tatay’s Day

By: Joe Mauricio

 

On June 18, American observes Father’s Day, and Dads across the country will be honored with cookouts, cards, ties they may or may not wind up wearing, and other gift items that they cannot even use. Most men don’t want their day to be a big fuss, but they deserve the honor the most.

A father is his son’s first hero, and his daughter’s first love.

Dad or Tatay is always a provider and a protector. He will screw together cribs, build forts, and read the same worn children’s books over and over again. He picks up toys and cleans up messes, and tends to bumps and scrapes, just like what Mom would do. If something is broken, he fixes it. He will drop his work to throw a ball around for a while with his kids, then goes back and finishes his job around the house.

He was there when you took your first step, and when you started off to school. He was the one you to ran for sweet complaints saying, “Daddy.” He helped play pranks, even if it meant him being the object of them.

Dad helps with homeworks and admires the finger paintings that somehow keep showing up. He cheers you at sporting events and applauds at dance recitals. He takes you hiking, fishing, or even hunting. He gives a serious and studied eye to any guy who shows up to take his daughter on a date. He can take their measure in a second because he was once a young man, too. And whether you know it or not, he was always worrying about you, always caring.

He made decisions you never know about that made your life better. He shielded you from the knowledge of the evils of the world as long as he could. He helped you give your chilhood a hint of magic.

Dads eventually transform into a doting grandfather, and when he holds your children (his grandchildren), you see the same gentle look in his eye that you first saw gazing back at you in your crib.

When he has passed on, Dad is the guy you think about everyday and hope he is still proud of the person you have become. And you know he is still right there with you, to help and inspire you whenever you need him.

He is one-of-a-kind, and he helped make you (the force), who you are today. You just don’t honor him on one day of the year but with your whole life, which he did so much to mold. He is your Dad, your Father, your Tatay, your Papa, your Old Man, your HERO! You honor him not only on Father’s Day, but everyday of your life!

Why do we celebrate Father’s Day? Clearly, Father’s Day is all about giving your Dad or Tatay a day to say thank you. But it’s not just that, it is also a chance to remember fathers who have died and celebrate that important man who has played a paternal role in our lives.

Father’s Day is a private and public holiday in our hearts. Mabuhay ang Tatay ko, many Filipinos would say on Father’s Day!