The globalization of Mother's and Father's Day

I bought Father's Day cards for the first time in my life today. It wasn't a holiday we paid particular attention to when I was growing up. But now commercial Western holidays have made their way through satellite TV all the way to Pakistan to my parents' living room.

Last year in May, I called my mom in Karachi for one of our regular chats. Then suddenly...

"You never sent me a Mother's Day card," she said mildly.

"What?"

"None of my children called or sent me a Mother's Day card," she said again, her voice faintly chagrined.

"But Ma," I protested, my thoughts knocked askew. "We've never celebrated Mother's Day. I didn't even think you knew when Mother's Day was."

And besides, we've always made fun of holidays like Mother's Day, Ma!, I thought as my mind gathered into a little ball of defensiveness. We always said it was something people did once a year because they never called their mothers the rest of the time. We always said that for us, every day was Mother's Day!

I must have sputtered some of this aloud, because my mother tried to dismiss the issue.

"It's okay, Koki," she said. "It doesn't matter."

So this year, without mentioning it in our weekly phone calls, I sent her a card. It was a simple, square card with a flower on the cover that simply told her we loved her.

Now it's Father's Day and I'm not taking any chances. That's how I found myself in the greeting card aisle of a Giant supermarket, trying to find not one but two cards for the dads my husband and I share.

I spent a good 15 minutes picking up one card and then the next and the next with a growing sense of dismay. The realization dawned that I was seeing a real pattern among all the rejected cards. Yes, there it was again.

Bathroom humor.

I didn't get it. What was it about Father's Day that caused a proliferation of fart jokes?

And with the growing popularity of Father's and Mother's Day gift-giving, is this irreverence in danger of becoming a global trend?

A quick Google search for "Father's Day International" took me to a Relief International forum where kids from Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Wisconsin posted their thoughts on the holiday last year.

"Honestly I haven’t heard about Father’s Day before, and give present to my Father only on February 23 (It is Armies Day) but this month we have learned about Father’s Day and tried to create some hand-made presents," wrote Suhrob Sulaymonov of Tajikistan.

My favorite post was by a student in Bangladesh, who didn't make presents or cards but a simple declaration of devotion. Written June 22, 2006, it was titled, "Best papa in the world."

"My papa is a teacher. He is not only a papa but also a philosopher, guide and friend to me. He loves me not only top of the world but also best in the world. He is a modern papa. He knows all wants of mine and fill that want what is really good for me. and avoid that which is bad for me and also for my future. My father take me to the different park and shopping mall for shopping and fun. I love and respect him a lot. He is the richest gift in my life. I will never hert my father & will try to make his all dreams that he draw and imagine about me.

Md. Adib Rahman Nabil
Sirajuddin Sarker Vidyaniketan (Tonig-1)
Tongi Bazar, Gazipur"

If importing Father's Day to the rest of the world means encouraging more kids to express themselves like that, I guess it's not such a bad thing. Maybe we can learn a thing or two about Father's Day from the reactions of those who've just been introduced to it.

There'd be a whole lot less bathroom humor in the greeting card aisle, for sure.