Etiquette of Father's day

Father’s day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood.  In Catholic Europe it was celebrated on March 19 which is St. Joseph’s Day since the Middle Ages. This celebration was brought by the Spanish and Portuguese to Latin America, where March 19 is often still used as the date for it, though many countries in Europe and the Americas have now adopted the American date, which is the third Sunday of June. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May.

Father's Day was not celebrated in the US, outside Catholic traditions, until the 20th century. As a civic celebration in the US, it was inaugurated in the early 20th century to complement  Mother’s Day by celebrating fathers and male parenting.

To be a father or a gentleman in the 21st century has changed as with most things as fathers are now more hands on.

However, fathers should know how to behave and conduct themselves as gentlemen so to all fathers out there, here is my top ten guide to being a 21st century father and gentleman. 

1. Manners: Treat ladies, the elderly, disabled and children with the utmost of respect and of course, also show courtesy to other gentlemen. 

2. Respect: Hold doors open, give up your seat to ladies, children, the elderly and disabled on public transport, and help others with simple tasks such as crossing the road and hailing a cab.

3. Promises:  A gentleman’s promise is sacred and must never be taken lightly or broken.

4. Equality: Sadly, the younger generation tend not to understand these time old customs and it is my duty and that of others similar to me to make sure that these values do not disappear. We do live in a time when ladies are of course treated as equals to men, but there is nothing wrong with showing them respect and courtesy by the values I mention within these rules.

5. Dress Codes: A gentleman should possesses at least one well-made dark suit, one tweed suit and a dinner jacket. Always make sure the shirt is neatly ironed, and a tie is often required.

6. Assisting Others: The gentleman will help carry a house guests’ luggage to their rooms, tip staff in a private house and a gamekeeper in the shooting field, will always say his name when being introduced, is good with staff, can tie his own bow ties, excellent at time keeping and can, of course, make the perfect Gin and Tonic.

7. General Etiquette: All gentlemen should have a basic understanding of etiquette and a full knowledge of manners which should be taught from a very young age. Some of these include knowing when not to say anything, or how to avoid conflicts.

8. Language: A gentleman should always remember his language when around others. When I say this, I am not referring to foreign languages,  but to swearing. May I suggest replacing vulgar curses with ‘gosh’, ‘crikey’ and ‘fiddlesticks’. 

9. Memory: Never forget birthdays, anniversaries and special dates. If  you do struggle, then may I suggest a wonderful invention called the diary. 

10. A gentleman will always protect and put his family, loved ones and friends before himself. A true gentleman will also put strangers before himself.