Yes, IC, there's a Father's Day celebration

In Germany, Father's Day is celebrated during the Ascension Day, a Christian holiday which falls on the  40th Day after Easter. It is popularly known as Men's Day or in eastern Germany, the Lord's Day.

Father's Day or Ascension Day falls today, 9 May. 

My girls have been busy preparing for Father's Day (and of course, Mother's Day this Sunday). Actually, they got a bit irritated because in IC's class, they have been creating something for Mother's Day for the past month. It was only a few weeks ago that they learned that this year, Father's Day comes before Mother's Day!

Added to that, IC came home early this week saying, "You know what, Mama, my classmates told me that there is no Father's Day at all."

Then she reportedly told them, "Well, I don't care if you think like that, we are still celebrating Father's Day." Well, we already shopped for gifts for Papa, so the celebration would go on, right?

But that was not the end of that. Yesterday, she arrived from school and announced, 'Mama, there is no Father's Day. That's an old tradition and people don't celebrate them now!"

She went on, saying, "There's still Mother's Day because mothers do more, lots and lots of things, for the children, compared to the fathers."

Whoa, hold on, I told her that mothers do more but fathers do things for the children, too. And with her help, we started to list down things that her Papa does for all of us... (see below :-D)



I told her that Father's Day is being celebrated all over the world. But not at the same time. Although we could always celebrate Father's Day anytime we want just because we wanted to say thank you to our Papas.

I explained to her that in some parts of the world, Father's Day is celebrated in June; some celebrates the day on the birthdate of their kings, etc. In the end, we both agreed that all fathers deserve a Father's Day celebration.

So here's a tribute for our dear Papa this Father's Day! Here's the list of what our Papa does for us.

Thank you for cruising the streets to chase the hot air balloon for us.

Thank you for driving us to go shopping (and fetching us with our heavy shopping bags) despite promising that we would use the bus this time.

Thank you for your never-ending patience when you do agree to go shopping with us.

Thank you for the garden, the harvests, the portable pool that kept you busy but you know benefits us, especially the girls.

Thank you for encouraging us to enjoy the outdoors, even if we sometimes tend to hide inside the house.

Thank you for helping us with our homeworks (despite the tantrums, yours and ours).

Thank you for cooking for us.
Thank you for your patience in constructing our Egg Surprises, our Playmobil, our Legos, our Barbies, etc.
Thank you for making scavenger hunts to encourage us to enjoy short hikes.

Thank you for listening to our daily adventure in school.
Thank you for sacrificing your neckties everytime we celebrate Fasching's Weiberfastnacht.
Thank you for always volunteering to clean the bathroom and the toilets.
Thank you for regularly shrubbing clean the counter tops and the oven.

Thank you for the almost nightly talks.

Thank you for working hard to keep our allowance on schedule.

Thank you for wearing that crazy costume during the Carnival party.
Thank you for walking the dog during stormy weathers, and cold winters.
Thank you for scooping Rikki's poop in the garden.
Thank you for making the Kids' Day a tradition.

Thank you for volunteering to help in our school activities.

Thank you for being you and for loving us for being us.

Happy Father's Day!

P.S. Aside from a gift to Papa, IC made gift certificates indicating that Papa will have his office area cleaned by her, and she would be Papa's assistant cook two times :-) Maybe her way to encourage him to do more for us? :-D