Celebrate Parents Day – July 28

What Is Parents’ Day?

n the United States, Parents’ Day is held on the fourth Sunday of every July. This was established in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed a Congressional Resolution into law (36 U.S.C. § 135) for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Trent Lott. It was supported by members of the Unification Church which also celebrates a holiday called Parents’ Day, although on a different date.

United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said: “Replacing Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with a Parents’ Day should be considered, as an observance more consistent with a policy of minimizing traditional sex-based differences in parental roles.“

Many Americans are unaware that our nation has a new day of commemoration called Parents’ Day. This is good news for America’s parents and families.

In 1994 President Bill Clinton signed into law the resolution unanimously adopted by the U. S. Congress establishing the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents’ Day, a perennial day of commemoration similar to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. According to the Congressional Resolution, Parents’ Day is established for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.”

The establishment of Parents’ Day was the result of a bipartisan, multiracial and interfaith coalition of religious, civic and elected leaders who recognized the need to promote responsible parenting in our society and to uplift ideal parental role models, especially for our nation’s children.

Since the creation of this annual day of commemoration, local faith communities, elected officials and activists throughout the nation have creatively launched many activities around the theme of Parents’ Day designed to celebrate and strengthen the traditional, two-parent family.

The National Parents’ Day Council does not envision Parents’ Day to be yet “another” day to honor parents, but rather a day when parents honor their children and the God-centered family ideal by rededicating themselves to manifest the highest standard of unconditional true love.

The Opportunity

The establishment of Parents’ Day affords a wonderful opportunity for communities, organizations, churches, mosques, synagogues and temples to honor exemplary parents and to encourage families everywhere to invest in our most precious resource – our children. Among the most popular of these activities has been the recognition of outstanding couples as parental role models who have been honored as “Parents of the Year” at the national, state, local and faith community level.

We encourage you to get involved in helping us recognize outstanding parents worthy of this recognition by establishing a Parents’ Day Selection Committee in your faith community or local area. Please also recommend such parents to your state’s National Parents’ Day Council affiliate or our national office for consideration to be selected “Parents of the Year” at the state or national level.

Why Parents’ Day?

In every culture and time period, the family has stood as the most fundamental human institution. Family is the starting point of life, the sustainer of well-being, and the school of love. A family begins with the joining together of man and woman, husband and wife, becoming father and mother – and parents. The most powerful of human bonds is the parent-child relationship.

Commitment to family has always been a core value.

Tragically, however, what was often held as a common value, recognized as common sense, even understood as self-evident in the past, is sometimes not so today.

As our nation struggles with effects of family breakdown, youth violence and a host of other critical problems, more and more voices are calling for a re-examination of our priorities and fundamental values. Too often we have let other concerns take precedence over our responsibilities as parents. Yet is there any more important calling than that of nurturing and raising a child?

Unfortunately, our popular culture over the past several decades has emphasized self-fulfillment and self-gratification. Such focus on the self runs counter to the essence of parenthood, which fundamentally involves unconditional true love.

Parents’ Day provides an opportunity to recognize and promote parenting as a central vocation for our families and communities. More than just a time to celebrate, it is an occasion to make a statement about what is important in our society. It is a chance to create a positive tradition based on a core axiom – that the role of parents is crucial in the nurturing and development of children, and thus requires investment, focus, and commitment.

*Text of Legislation Creating National Parents’ Day (House Joint Resolution 398)

One Hundred and Third Congress of the United States of America
At the Second Session

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, the twenty-fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-four.

Joint Resolution
Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the fourth Sunday of every July shall be established as “Parents’ Day” to be recognized as a recurring, perennial day of commemoration.

Sec. 2 Recognition
All private citizens, organizations, and governmental and legislative bodies at the local, State and Federal level are encouraged to recognize Parents Day through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts in furtherance of recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.

The resolution, passed unanimously by the House and Senate, was signed by the Speaker of the House, Thomas Foley, and the President pro tempore of the Senate, Robert Byrd. President Clinton approved the resolution on October 14, 1994.

President Clinton meets with Parents of Year honorees 1995

What You Can Do

The National Parents’ Day Coalition invites all people of faith and conscience to join together in celebrating and promoting the God-centered family ideal. The Coalition strives to educate couples in becoming more successful in establishing stable, loving families and promoting parenting as the most important job they will ever have.

Activities of the National Parents’ Day Coalition in which you can participate include:

Parents’ Day Celebrations – Join us in making Parents’ Day – the fourth Sunday of each July – a special day to uplift parenthood. Whether it is your city Coalition, civic organization, or faith congregation, make sure that your community taps into this important day of commemoration.

Parents of the Year – From the local to the national level, the Parents’ Day Coalition honors “Parents of the Year”, couples who exemplify the standard and ideal of Godly parenthood. Contact us to find out how you can participate in your area, through nominating worthy couples, serving on a Selection Committee, etc.

We want your help! – Join with us in the celebration of Parents’ Day.

If you would like to volunteer, or if you know someone you would like to nominate for “Parents of the Year“, please fill out our handy online form: Parents’ Day Nomination

Google Doodles – HERE

May all parents have a Great Day!