As a public service announcement to dads everywhere, we at MTW wanted to point out that Father's Day is this Sunday, June 21, 2009.

You might have missed this, since no one advertises anything about Father's Day. There are no flower sales, or touchy-feely commercials about calling long distance to dad. Nope, as always, dads get the shaft.

Don't get me wrong, Mom's are important. You wouldn't be here without your mom. And in the sexist, atomic family of the 1950s, Moms stayed home, wiping noses and butts, making lunches and keeping the home spotless. In our modern world, Moms have to go to work, and share the household duties with dads (hopefully- if dad isn't helping in the modern home, he's a slacker).

Every year, Mother's Day is a big deal- people are encouraged to send mom flowers, take her to dinner, buy her perfume, clothes, etc. It's the ultimate girly holiday, surpassing even Valentine's Day where gals only get gifts from their mates. On Mother's Day, a mom can wrack up just as many presents as she would get for her birthday or Christmas.

But what about dads? In an era where both parents have to work at least one job, you'd think that dad's would get an equally-extravagant holiday. I'm not asking for flowers or perfume, but how about a nice steak dinner? A new tool from Sears? I don't recall one commercial this month for Father's Day.

That really isn't fair, when you crunch the numbers.

Moms play the mommy card up until you turn 18. Then it's kind of rare that you would drive home to get a band-aid on a boo-boo. I can't see anyone jumping in their car during a storm and driving to mom's house to snuggle during a storm.

Dads, on the other hand, see their parental workload exponentially increase after the kids leave the nest. Ever hear of someone having their mom fix their car? Or come over and mow their yard? Fix their roof? Fix plumbing?

That's right, dads are the preferred handyman of choice for most folks as they grow older. Especially when dad retires and is bored out of his mind with nothing to do.

What about moms? Does babysitting grand kids count as much of a chore as putting in a toilet? Changing the oil on the family minivan? If you paid non-family members for these services, you'd end up spending FAR more on a plumber than a 'sitter. You'd spend more on a mechanic, than a 'sitter.

And what do dads get for this lifetime of manual labor? Ties. Maybe a DVD. A card that we really don't want but can't throw away for fear of hurting someone's feelings.

We don't get national advertising campaigns guilting our kids into showing us appreciation. We don't even get to sleep in- our holiday falling on a Sunday where we're still expected to get up and go to church. Nor do we get to stay up late- Monday is a workday.

Nope, Dads, as ever, are underappreciated, even on their "special" day of the year. Moms get all the glory; Dads get screwed.

This Father's Day, give your dad some frickin' appreciation for his hard work. Don't get him a craft project to do with the kids- he'll be doing those the rest of his life in the form of odd jobs at the kids' homes when they grow up. Let Dad have a frickin' day off. No work. No getting dressed up or going out somewhere he doesn't want to. Instead, make Father's Day a one-man vacation, where the kids and spouse wait on dad and don't gripe at him or ask him to take out the garbage.

Make Father's Day the day your dad wants, not a sad imitation of Mom's day.