Fathers happy with lesser attention

Los Angeles, June 21: Although dads get less attention on Father’s Day than moms do on Mother’s Day, they are still satisfied with it, says an expert. A psychology lecturer Nicole Gilbert Cote at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst insists that the part of the reason seems to be that moms expect to get an off from their stereotypical household chores such as cooking and cleaning up, while dads don’t expect any such option.

National Retail Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group said that fathers’ low expectations make shoppers spend less money on them than the moms. "Dad is a little more laid-back and easier to shop for,” National Geographic News quoted the federation spokesperson Kathy Grannis, as saying. "His gifts usually range from a simple tie for work to a new spatula for the grill, all of which can make dad very happy,” she added. However, Mother’s Day gifts tend to be more luxurious such as jewels, flowers, a trip to the spa, and dinner at a restaurant. The most popular gift for dads along with neckties is a greeting card. Greeting cards company Hallmark revealed that an estimated 110 million cards are sent on Father’s Day. Father’s Day originated from Spokane, Washington, where Sonora Smart-Dodd was one of six children being raised by a single dad. Inspired by a Mother’s Day sermon she heard at church, she wanted to honor her father. So, she encouraged local churches to institute the first Father’s Day observance in 1909. The idea caught on, and Hallmark started printing Father’s Day cards in the 1920s. ANI