[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 99 (Monday, June 16, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5652-S5653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              FATHER'S DAY

 Mr. BYRD. Madam President, summer will not officially begin 
until June 21, but already the summer heat and thunderstorms are upon 
us. Lawns are lush and green, calling for the mower at least every week 
to maintain their carefully manicured appearance. Gardens are bursting 
with blooms that hold the promise of juicy red tomatoes, crisp green 
peppers, and a never-ending supply of zucchini. Along rural roadsides, 
great rafts of daylilies growing are beginning to bloom in waves of 
firecracker orange starbursts above the dense green foliage.
  Despite the lawn and garden chores that beg for attention, one day 
this weekend was reserved for pleasure. Sunday, June 15, was Father's 
Day. Across the Nation, ties disappeared from store shelves, golf 
paraphernalia was snapped up, funny cards were bought, and restaurant 
reservations were made. On Sunday, many fathers were encouraged to take 
a break, to enjoy a brunch buffet, and to open some of the classic 
father's day gifts--those ties, golf tees, or cologne. This week, men 
across the Nation will sport brightly hued new ties and exotic scents 
that wordlessly label them as proud fathers.
  Fatherhood is a wonderful experience but also a nerve-wracking one. 
It is full of high points, from passing on new skills and old interests 
to a new generation, to witnessing the achievements of our offspring as 
they achieve success on their own. The sight of large father's hands 
tenderly cradling a tiny morsel of newborn humanity is enough to melt 
the hardest heart. But it is also a frightening responsibility, knowing 
that one's every word and action, for better or for worse, is being 
absorbed into the creation of a new character. Fathers who praise their 
child's hard work and perseverance in the face of setbacks, or who 
demonstrate the high value they place on being a good sport, build 
strong, resilient children who learn to work well with others 
throughout their lives. Fathers who lose their tempers at Little League 
coaches teach their children by example a lesson in rudeness and 
incivility that likely is very different than the manners that they 
preach. Clarence Budington Kelland put it best when he said, ``He 
didn't tell my how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.''
  Fathers typically spend fewer hours in the company of their children 
than do their mothers. Therefore, each hour spent together is precious, 
a fact that can be difficult to remember when fathers come home from 
work tired, and that lawn still needs to be mowed or those bills need 
to be paid. But in the years to come, as children grow, it is the time 
spent playing catch, or building a doghouse, or even watching a 
football game together, that both father and child will remember and 
cherish--not that the lawn was properly edged and raked.
  I know that the times spent with my Dad that I remember most fondly 
were just those few quiet minutes that we spent together most days, 
when I would meet Dad walking home from work. He would share with me a 
little cake that he had saved from his lunch, and we would talk and 
walk together.

[[Page S5653]]

No matter how tired he was, he was interested in how my day had gone 
and what I had learned in school. Like many kids, I worked hard at 
school and at my other activities, from my daily chores to playing my 
fiddle, to earn the reward of his smile and his words of praise. That 
ability to inspire a child is the greatest power, and the greatest 
responsibility, of fatherhood.
  The creation of Father's Day is widely credited to Mrs. Sonora Dodd, 
who, inspired by the idea of Mother's Day, chose to honor the father 
who raised her and her siblings after their mother died. Her father, 
William Smart, must have been a great father, to have sparked such a 
tribute from his daughter. As we honor the contributions to our 
families made by our fathers, we must also thank Sonora Dodd for her 
devotion and dedication to her father and all fathers. Mr. Smart did 
not know the German writer Jean Paul Richter 1762-1825, but he proved 
the truth behind Richter's observation that ``The words that a father 
speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the 
world, but, as in whispering galleries, they are heard clearly at the 
end and by posterity.''
  Mr. President, I close with a poem by an anonymous author, titled ``A 
Little Chap Who Follows Me.'' My Dad knew the truth of this poem, and I 
learned the truth of it after my own daughters were born, as all 
fathers do. On Father's Day, as fathers are being honored, it reminds 
us of the qualities of a father that are most worth honoring.

                      A Little Chap Who Follows Me

     A careful man I want to be;
     A little fellow follows me.
     I do not dare to go astray
     For fear he'll go the selfsame way.

     I cannot once escape his eyes,
     Whate'er he sees me do, he tries.
     Like me he says he's going to be;
     The little chap who follows me.

     He thinks that I'm so very fine,
     Believes in every word of mine.
     The base in me he must not see;
     The little chap who follows me.

     I must remember as I go
     Through summer's sun and winter's snow,
     I'm building for the years to be;
     The little chap who follows me.

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