Kids at an elementary school in Toronto, Canada won't be making Father's Day cards for their dads or father figures this June after the Allenby Junior Public School scrapped the annual celebration, alongside Mother's Day, in favor of a more inclusive event.
The school has decided to mount its own "Grownups Who Love Us Day" on May 27, replacing both the days for fathers, which is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday of June, and mothers, which is celebrated every second Sunday of May.
According to The Star, this new event hopes to ensure that children who do not belong to a traditional family may still feel included in the annual observance that honors parents. Despite the school's decision to promote inclusivity, the new event is likely to draw some controversy.
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Recognizing the Diversity and Complexity of Families
Centennial Park Elementary School in Abbotsford, also in Canada, celebrated Grownups Who Love Us Day instead of Mother's Day in early May. According to Abby News, some of the parents were confused and outraged when the school made the changes but there were also some parents who supported the move.
Superintendent Kevin Godden said that the decision to scrap Father's Day and Mother's Day was made collectively following discussions with the school staff and the administration. The school community also recognized that families today are diverse and complex thus the need to make the changes.
Figures from Statistics Canada show that more than one million children until the age of 14 years old do not have a traditional family life. Nearly 20 percent of the kids grew up with grandparents and other relatives, a caregiver, or a childminder because they lost a parent.
However, despite the school's intention, Centennial Park Elementary School was inundated with negative comments when Grownups Who Love Us Day was announced on social media. The school then deleted the announcement to temper down the strong reaction.
A Radical and Progressive Social Philosophy
Dad Perry Foster wrote in the Cowichan Valley Citizen that Grownups Who Love Us Day is an attack on the traditional family. He said that he was not surprised to see the strong reactions against the event on social media because "inclusion" seems to be used to "justify a variety of actions." He said that this "radical and progressive social philosophy" should concern the community because it may not be a good change.
Mom Bronwen Alsop, whose daughter goes to Allenby, said that she loves the idea of celebrating caregivers and other parental figures in the children's life. However, she also believes that this will be more confusing to the children.
She said that grown-ups may sometimes do too much and overthink every scenario in sheltering or protecting the kids. The mom further said that this should be a teaching moment for the children on the differences among families and on coping with difficult days.
