Maybe that’s true if all you do is throw money at the day - by buying the latest gadget from the many automotive, book, hardware and menswear brochures that clog the mailbox. Not having that has been one benefit of lockdown.
This makes celebrating fathers tomorrow a little more tricky than usual, to use a word of the moment.
Dining out’s not an option and, while that might be nice, the children really do nothing towards it anyway. It gets everyone off the hook and Dad probably ends up paying.
The best Father’s Days cost next to nothing - just some time, energy, a little imagination and lots of love.
This year, we fathers have the opportunity to take an active lead by celebrating being a father and spending the day with our youngsters doing things the family all enjoy doing together.
Make it a day of fun and joy, a day that says it’s great to have Dad around. Let it be active, noisy, even silly.
Spoil them with a slap-up breakfast or brunch. Then all sorts of home-based activities depending on the weather and age of children.
There’s always the movie binge if lockdown hasn’t already exhausted that, a board games tournament, home-made bingo, doing a jigsaw together, paper aeroplanes and karaoke. Take some quiet time with old family photos if you have any stashed away and spend half an hour or so creating and talking about your family tree.
A little more off the wall are activities such as raiding the cupboards and inventing a new breakfast cereal. (Warning: Dad, you have to eat and judge).
The internet is awash with simple ‘‘minute to win it’’ games to suit all ages. The materials required are usually very simple and the activities create a lot of fun and laughter. They can be run on a drop-everything-you’re-doing-on-the-hour-or-half-hour basis. They take very little time to set up, but a bit of time today googling ‘‘minute-to-win games’’, deciding the programme and pulling the bits and pieces together.
Then there’s basic science activities such as making a baking soda volcano. Build and paint a papier mache volcano, put some baking soda into the top with some red food colouring and pour on the vinegar for a great eruption. These sorts of activities can be great for younger children. Again google.
And there’s card-making: the children each make a Father’s Day card for Dad and Dad makes each of the children a Father’s Day card about being their father - there’s a challenge.
Enjoy Sunday.
