How to Celebrate Father’s Day If You’re Fatherless

Last month, comedian Mindy Kaling posted a heartbreaking tweet about Mother’s Day, which is hard for her every year since she lost her mom not long ago. “For those of us missing our mothers, today can feel like Missing Mom Day. Luckily, love is a rope that connects us to our moms forever. Xoxo.” This is how I feel every Father’s Day, which may as well be Missing Dad Day for me.

Thankfully, both Father’s Day and Mother’s Day don’t have to be sad, even if you don’t have a parent for one or both days. There are many ways to survive and enjoy Father’s Day if your dad isn’t around. Here’s how you can spend the day.

With your brother(s)

This year, I sent both of mine some Father’s Day cards, as they have kids of their own and have been great dads since the beginning. See if your brothers would like to visit with you or call them up to see how the day is treating them. Whether they’re parents or just good brothers, they’ll appreciate the thought.

With your mom

This is for all the mothers out there who had to serve as both parents at some point. If your father is deceased or simply not in the picture, let your mom know that you value what she does every day of the year, and today gets to be her day as well because she was a standup parent at all times.

With your significant other’s dad

While I was buying Father’s Day cards, I picked one up for my boyfriend’s dad. He may not have raised me, but I adore the person he did raise, and it’s only fitting to honor him for being a great dad to someone important to me.

With your grandfather

Another potentially wonderful male figure to honor on Father’s Day. If he lives far away, you can always call him up on the phone, and if he happens to be super tech-savvy, you can even have a Skype or Google Hangout chat.

With your roommate (or others who aren’t doing anything for Father’s Day)

For one reason or another, some folks don’t do much for Father’s Day. If you’re feeling isolated and lonely, you could ask them to grab some lunch or breakfast. Sure, you’ll probably see tons of people sitting with their dads, but at least you’re not all by yourself at home wishing you could be in their shoes. You can have a nice day too, with or without a father.

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