Father's Day or Fathers' Day

[andrew1707]

Which is it? There have been very good arguments for both in the office this morning.

[mike11111]

Fathers' Day, a day for fathers, plural.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

I would go with it being Father's Day because it's personal to you.
I dread it because it reminds me how much I miss my Dad and I've found myself tearing up a bit at some of the ads on telly. I don't feel like that towards your Dad for instance, so Father's Day for me.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

And jeebus, you lot start early!

[andrew1707]

That was my thought, Mike.

The argument for Father's Day was that within your household you are the only Father so it is singular.

I have seen two web-sites advertising Father's Day events.

[andrew1707]

Perhaps this isn't going to be so clear-cut after all.

[mike11111]

Actually, Chamber's dictionary gives Father's Day and Mother's Day, so I must accept that, even though I think the plural is more apt.

[albaqwerty]

The advert below the submit button says Father's Day.

Presumably a Day for Father?

[LoftyLottie]

I will go with Mike, otherwise it is a day for only one Father. You can have a private Father's Day for your own family, but it's for all Fathers. Not that it matters - it is a new fangled money spinning day that didn't even exist at all until some time in the seventies.

[joggerjayne]

Oh, god ... when is it??

This weekend ????

[andrew1707]

Okay what about a family that has same sex parents (2 men). Surely that would be plural within the household?

And having scanned the news today we could get another thread out of these parents' right to be married!!!

[LoftyLottie]

............... and Mothers' Day used to be Mothering Sunday. I am old you see!!! ;o)

[mike11111]

As I said earlier, the dictionary gives it as Father's Day, singular.

[andrew1707]

I had to laugh when I worked out that Fathers' Day was 9 months before Mothers' Day!!!!!

[LoftyLottie]

Yes Mike, I know. But I agree with your first thoughts. The Media have got it wrong!! ;o)

[albaqwerty]

Well, you learn something new every day.

I presume (probably wrongly) it came about when Mothering Sunday became Mother's (Mothers') Day?

[LoftyLottie]

................ and the dictionaries!!

[albaqwerty]

sorry Lottie, that one wasn't there whilst I was typing.

[mike11111]

From Wiki:

Although the name of the event is usually understood as a plural possessive (i.e. "day belonging to fathers"), which would under normal English punctuation guidelines be spelled "Fathers' Day," the most common spelling is "Father's Day," as if it were a singular possessive (i.e. "day belonging to Father"). In the United States, Dodd used the "Fathers' Day" spelling on her original petition for the holiday,[4] but the spelling "Father's Day" was already used in 1913 when a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress as the first attempt to establish the holiday,[13] and it was still spelled the same way when its creator was commended in 2008 by the U.S. Congress.[21]

[LoftyLottie]

No worries Alba

[weecalf]

Maybe card maker could have both.It there a card for "I seen a big red lorry going by your house last week " card yet .