MEMPHIS, Tenn. — This Father’s Day, families across the Mid-South stepped out to show the special men in their lives how much they’re appreciated.
Last year, the holiday fell right in the middle of the pandemic but what a difference a year makes, as restaurants and businesses were full of a lot of satisfied fathers.
since the Shelby County Health Department lifted nearly all restrictions, restaurants and businesses were full of families looking to honor and celebrate the dads in their lives.
WREG-TV spoke to many fathers who said they mainly used this time to think about what being a dad means to them.
“What it means to me to be a father is to have integrity, morals and instill that into my kids,” said Bryan Jones, who’s celebrating Father’s Day.
Children young and old across the city of Memphis spent the day showing their dad how much they love them.
“My dad is really nice. Sometimes he’ll say yes to everything but sometimes no when he doesn’t have money,” said Aleria Cardozo, who’s celebrating Father’s Day.
We spoke with several fathers who say they are using this day to reflect on what fatherhood means to them through the good and the bad.
“They show you what love really means. A daughter’s love is something you’ll never experience until you have a daughter,” said Miguel Cardozo.
Robert Anderson added, “Last year during the pandemic, a lot of people took a lot of losses. I lost my mom and a couple of other family members. My brother who is a firefighter, Courtney Anderson, we lost him right after we lost my mother. This year has still been hard. We lost our grandfather, but she brings a lot of joy and peace to me.”
And while things may get tough, this dad says he just keeps pushing forward with his support system by his side.
“I’m pushing now. I’m trying and I’m going to keep going,” said Derrick Bobo.
Rickkeena Sherrod added, “I feel the effort and just being there is most important than anything.”
This Father’s day looked very different compared to last year as the holiday fell at the peak of the pandemic.
Some dads we spoke to say they didn’t get the opportunity to spend time with their children.
“We talked on the phone but everyone’s ready to get out again and enjoy the music and the wonderful weather,” said Lee Booth.
With this being the first day of summer, several dads we spoke to say they look forward to spending more time with their kids moving forward.
