Mother’s Day or Father’s Day: which gets the most effort?

If the shops are anything to go by, the nation seems to take Mother’s Day a little more seriously than Father’s Day. TV and in-store advertising go into maximum overdrive for moms, while gifts for dads tend to get a low-key and practical airing. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that families aren’t willing to put the effort in – or does it?

The answer may lie in a special survey for Father’s Day conducted on the behalf of Littlewoods.com. How do UK dads feel about the Father’s Day gifts they get each year? Do they feel under-valued compared to mums? Dads might not tell the whole truth (and nothing but) to their families, but the survey has revealed what they really think.

The good news is that over half of the dads surveyed believed that they are appreciated by their kids. There is, however, some not-so-good news that shows that families might not be getting the festivities quite right yet. Only two (yes, just two!) of the 100 dads surveyed felt that their kids treated Father’s Day as seriously as Mother’s Day. A whopping 3 out of 5 dads claimed that their children made more effort for Mother’s Day.

Before we start doling out the sympathy however, it’s worth noting that they don’t seem to care as much as they should. Over half the dads thought that Father’s Day is a ‘nice gesture, but not important’, and 2 out of 5 dads claimed that ‘they didn’t care about it’.

Of course, their indifference could be down to the presents they get. The survey showed that almost all the dads had received typical Father’s Day fare. Over half of the dads polled had been given a novelty mug, and nearly half had been given that old Father’s Day staple – a pair of socks.

So, maybe it’s time to bridge the gap between the two celebrations with a more innovative approach to gift-buying. Kids: think hard about gifts they would like to receive rather than run-of-the-mill essentials, and make more of an effort on the day itself. Perhaps if we treat dads more like mums, Father’s Day will become more special to them.