Happy Father’s Day to all who claim the title. Fatherhood had been defined by popular TV shows of the day, and it was easy to honour Dad with a gift that was just right. Today, there is no single role of fatherhood, but there is a universally popular gift. I have taken a Straw Poll of Fathers of my acquaintance questioning what gift they would REALLY like for Father’s Day. Scroll down to read the answer
The model for the postwar television father was: Father Knows Best. He was the unquestioned head of the household, the family’s moral guide, the financial provider, and almost always correct.
Father’s Day: A tie.
Television began showing fathers with flaws and struggles. All in the Family introduced a father who was opinionated, confused by social change and sometimes wrong. Archie Bunker was not a role model in the traditional sense, he reflected tensions around race, politics and changing social values.
Father’s Day Gift: A pair of cozy slippers.
A Somewhat Warmer and More Optimistic View of Fatherhood. The Cosby Show, Family Ties and Growing Pains showed fathers who balanced careers with greater emotional involvement at home. Fathers were loving and engaged, professionally successful, humorous and deeply involved in raising the children. They presented to many, the ideal father, authoritative, but approachable.
Father’s Day Gift: Golf, Tennis or other sports equipment.
Fathers have become less authoritarian and more collaborative. TV Shows like Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air portrayed fathers who made mistakes, learned lessons, and showed vulnerability. The growing shift portrayed fathers showing love—more than a pat on the head—unheard of in the 1950s.
Father’s Day Gift: New electronics and accessories.
A more realistic and sometimes critical portrayal of fathers who were loving, but overwhelmed. Malcolm in the Middle and Modern Family recognized that families come in many forms: Single fathers, stepfathers, same-sex parents and co-parenting arrangements; fathers who were immature, divorced, struggling financially, or juggling complicated family structures heretofore unrecognized on television shows. The father’s role is no longer defined solely by being a provider.
Father’s Day Gift: Carefully thought out and personal—a personalized Baseball Cap, a T-shirt with an up-lifting quote.
Fathers are portrayed as multi-dimensional people who may be a stay-at-home parent; co-equal partners in childcare; emotionally expressive; imperfect and still learning. Shows like This Is Us explored fatherhood with remarkable emotional depth, where fathers deal with grief, mental health, identity, adoption, work-life balance and changing expectations as well as changing diapers. Whether in dramas like Heartland or comedies like Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience the authority figure has disappeared and is replaced by a father simply trying to do his best.
What would their Father’s Day gift be?
“I want a REALLY good cup of coffee in the morning on Father’s Day and every day,” so say 15 out of the 18 fathers polled. His gift should be the De’Longhi Rivelia. Like placing a café on the Kitchen Counter, it is a gift he will cherish. What sets the Rivelia apart is its unique ability to adapt to different coffee beans, remember personal preferences of each member of the family, and prepare café-style beverages at the touch of a button. Espresso, Americano, flat white, bold, cappuccino, iced coffee, latte and more. And everything works!
Dad is going to love being an at-home Barista. There is a button for each member of the family and the ability to program their preferences next to their picture. Bean hoppers are interchangeable: robust in the morning and decaf at night. And the clean-up every week or so is minimal. There is a phenomena that takes place, however: suddenly your friends and neighbours start to “just drop in for a coffee."
Happy Father's Day!