As mid-terms and board exams are slowly coming to an end, it is great to have a long weekend to celebrate some of the most supportive people in many of our lives: our fathers!

The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1910, and in 1972 it became a National recognized holiday. Father’s Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was inspired by a church service on Mother’s Day.

She believed that fathers deserved their own day of recognition, as they were as important as mothers. Although in the past it was recognized as a religious holiday, it has since been commercialized with greeting cards and gift giving. Some individuals choose to wear a red rose on Father’s Day to indicate that their father is living, while individuals with a deceased father may wear a white rose. Fathers play an important role in the development of their children by providing love, support, and guidance. Father’s Day is also a special day to celebrate the diversity of father figures, including stepfathers, grandfathers, and uncles.

This year, we celebrated Father’s Day with my father-in-law. My father lives in Missouri, so we were not able to celebrate him in person this year, but I enjoyed a long phone call with him discussing all of the plants he has planted in his garden. We will be traveling to Missouri in July to celebrate all of the summer birthdays in my family, and I cannot wait to celebrate all of my loved ones in person at this time. Although we are all consumed with studying in the chiropractic program, it is crucial to maintain a good balance between classes and family relationships.