Father figures play an important role in all of our lives, no matter our age. In this changing and wonderfully varied world, this may not always be a biological male relative and we would like to acknowledge everyone who takes on this role with warmth and love.

Father's Day - A Touch of Class FloristThe way that Father figures interact with their children may be changing in this often fast paced society that we have created but that doesn’t alter the importance of their contribution to raising and mentoring the next generations.  There have been studies done and dissected that may help to enlighten the particulars, such as the Grant Study, but we will leave that discussion to more experienced people. We would like to have a light-hearted focus on some of the memories that we are grateful to our own Fathers for, on this Father’s Day.  We asked a few of our friends to contribute anonymously and will share some of their stories below.

The Welcoming FatherFather's Day - A Touch of Class Florist

Something that had a big impact on me as a child was the way in which I was greeted by my Father and by the Father’s of my friends.  The first greeting upon returning home from work was always one of enthusiasm and welcome.  I can imagine now that my Father was often exhausted after a hectic day but he would always greet us when he entered the house.  It wasn’t necessarily a drawn out affair but he made the time to let us know we were important to him in this small manner.  Friend’s fathers with sometimes booming enthusiasm, greeted me when we met and this too made me feel welcome and visible. Perhaps you have memories of someone in your life that always greeted you with such joy? I hope so, it is such a simple but wonderful way to make someone feel loved.

The Goodnight Ritual

My father worked a lot as I grew up as much of the time he was running his own business.  Despite his and my Mum’s busy schedule one of the times that I remember with fondness is the bed-time ritual.  My Father would often, after some light-hearted cajoling, lift us in what we called a fireman’s lift and carry us to bed high up, across his shoulders.  After dumping us on the bed he would billow the sheets over our heads like a tent and let them drift down onto us.  He would then tuck us in tight.  As a child this made bed-time a delightful moment and it made me feel safe and cared for.  It will always be something that I look back on with joy.

Father's Day - A Touch of Class FloristFrom A Son’s Perspective

My Dad, or Paps as I call him, has given me one of the biggest life lessons that I may not have otherwise heard as a selfish/ego driven young male.  He has always pushed and said that “It’s not about you or me, it’s about everyone, the greater good.”  It is when you have children of your own that you truly learn that compromise and sharing are fundamental for unity within your unit.  It becomes vital to try and put yourself/ego aside for the good of the family.  A young, testosterone fuelled boy finds this message hard to hear but an older, wiser man comes to realise that “united we stand and divided we fall” hence, listen to your Father!!!

Shared Interests

Books and travel were important activities in my family as I grew up.  I have many memories of my Father reading me bedtime stories, particularly Winnie The Pooh!  He also encouraged us to travel and helped us to find the opportunities to do so.  Both reading and travel are great loves of mine to this day.Father's Day - A Touch of Class Florist

All Fathers Figures Are Unique

Of course no Father is perfect or the same as another. Loving and caring Father Figures come in many shapes and sizes and operate in many different ways.  Family dynamics are constantly changing, in part, from the stresses of modern life that impact us all but in many positive ways as well.  We would like to take this day of the year, Father’s Day, to say thank you to all of the Father Figures out there who are watching over us and helping to guide us in our decision making as we grow.  We hope that you all have a Father Figure of some kind in your life whom you love and cherish.

Gifts

Father’s Day is a day to let those in a Fatherly/mentor position for you, know that you appreciate and value them.  This may be as simple as sending them a card or visiting them for a cuppa.  If you would like to take them a little something when you visit, of course we would love to assist you.  Flowers may or may not be appropriate for your Father figure but at A Touch of Class Florist we do have a few, perhaps more suitable, items to be found in our Gentleman’s Corner.

If you would like a few other gift ideas you could check out our blog from last year!

Happy Father's Day - A Touch of Class FloristWe were thinking of including a brief history of Father’s Day but discovered so many wonderful blogs and websites out there that have already done this that we thought we would instead list a few links here for you to check out if you are interested.

A Brief History of Father’s Day – The Art of Manliness

Father’s Day – Wikipedia

A History of Father’s Day: From ties and tobacco to heartfelt family tributes – ABC News