Father’s Day is a holiday in June, but it’s much more than a day to barbeque or attend a baseball game. It’s really an opportunity for meaningful time and conversation with your father. The power of fathers in your life can be expansive. If you’re an adult in your 50s or 60s who is beginning to see that your dad (or mom) is changing, the future may feel worrisome. As people who work with the elderly every day, we’d like to encourage you to look at each day as an opportunity to build memories.
For those born in the 1950s through 1970s, you may have had a dad who served in the Korean War, World War II, or the Vietnam War. It was a much different time than today, one in which men often were the strong, silent type who may have seemed stern to a young child. But today, as an adult, a day like Father’s Day is a time to talk with your dad about his life and what he felt was important.
For families in those generations, life was quite different than we experience today. He may have been the only wage earner, which may have either been a point of pride to him or a point of concern financially. Many fathers at that time were either the disciplinarian or a buddy to their kids too.
See if he remembers any Father’s Days, either for his dad or when you were a child. Did he play Santa at Christmas or coach your sports teams? Ask him open-ended questions.
Here are some examples
- What do you remember about the day I was born?
- Did you ever change diapers?
- What was the hardest point for you as a dad?
- What events in the news do you most remember?
- When you taught me how to drive (or play ball, or another activity), what were your thoughts?
- What holiday memories do you have? Odds are, he spent at least one Christmas Eve assembling bicycles or toys!
This Father’s Day, we at BeeHive Homes Assisted Living hope you are able to spend meaningful time with your dad and the rest of your family. Every day is a blessing when we’re with family! If we can ever be of assistance to you as an assisted living facility in New Mexico or to help with answers to your questions about aging parents, please give us a call.
