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The New York Times recently carried an article proposing to establish a national "Aunts’ Day,” to go along with, or supplement, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and also Grandparents’ Day.
Although the Times's article made no reference to the latter day, it has been in existence since 1978, when the U.S. Congress, despite concern over difficult problems of the time such as energy, inflation, taxes and detente, found time to be thoughtful and considerate. The Congress passed a resolution setting up "Grandparents’ Day,” setting the first Sunday after Labor Day as the date for its observance.
The report on the resolution required by the rules of the House of Representatives an inflationary impact statement. At the time of the passage of the resolution, it was predicted that establishing the special day would have no such impact.
The experience of the five years since the passage of the resolution seems to bear out the prediction: There is no objective evidence that the establishment of the special day has had much effect on family relationships, stability or general happiness.
Now, Aunts’ Day is proposed.
I have no particular objection to such an establishment. Aunts have been and still are important in the family structure, but their role remains what it always has been, primarily supportive, generally of mothers, sometimes of fathers, or of grandparents.
It is the role of the uncle in family functioning, however, that needs attention, revival and recognition. Establishing a "National Uncles’ Day” might do much to accomplish this objective.
The decline of the family in America, according to recent, unpublished studies of limited scope, is directly traceable to the deemphasis and discounting of the role of uncles.
The uncle was not supportive as were aunts. Uncles were a free force. They were a place of refuge from dominating aunts (for small boys especially). Uncles were not exactly subversive of parental authority, but they were, at least, a source of contrary position and of another opinion.
Uncles were a bridge between family and society, a role not fulfilled by the traditional aunt. Uncles were useful for transmitting the facts of life,
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