I can see what's eating him. Even if it were not Father's Day - there is, actually a Mother's Day, I am told, in which this message would have been affirming and powerful - but even if it weren't Father's Day there still would be a very strong subtext of "Dad wasn't here, Mom was strong." Given the context if Father's Day it is, I think, a little inappropriate, even insulting. The day is to commemorate fathers who
were there, who
were strong, who
did make the effort and sacrifice to give to the lives of their children. It simply isn't the time to dismiss that.
Could be hypersensitivity - we live in a rather prickly age, don't we? But there was something very unpleasant underlying what should have been a positive message. I don't think our host was out of line at all.
Agree completely.
It's not an accident that they picked the occasion of Father's Day for this message.
If you want to acknowledge what a great person your mom is/was there's an appropriate time and place for that. The attempt to expropriate Father's Day by injecting these little anecdotes is insidious and, I think, malicious as well.