1924年，美国总统卡尔文·柯立芝建议把父亲节作为一个全国性的节日，以便“在父亲和子女间建立更亲密的关系，并且使父亲铭记自己应尽的全部责任”。1972年，尼克松总统正式签署了建立父亲节的议案。后来，这一节目逐渐流传到世界各地。如今，历来重视亲子关系、强调父亲教养责任的中国城市人群，也潜移默化地接受了这个“洋节”。
以独生子女为养育对象的中国式核心家庭类似无限责任公司，父母对子女的前途命运负无限责任。“子不教，父之过”，子女的贤愚、得失、功过牵连其父。父亲不但要负经济、道德等方面的连带责任，而且要被社会和家庭全方位地追究“领导责任”。对独生子女教育成功的收益不可预期，但教育失败的机会成本却是百分之百。因此，父亲是儿女的标杆——尺度，这个“尺度”的分寸很难把握。
译文:
the Yardstick of Father's Love
In 1924, John Calvin Coolidge, the former American president suggested that Father's Day should be a national festival so that 'a closer relationship can be estanblished between Fathers and children and that Fathers can remember all his responsibilities'. In 1972, President Nixon offcially signed the bill of setting up the Father's Day which was spred to the whole world later. Nowadays, chinese citizens who value the relationship of paternity and pay much attention to the father's teaching responsibilities are also receiving this foreign festival step by step.
The chinese family whose teaching target is only child seems like an unlimited company. That is to say, parents are responsible for their children's future. 'If your children don't know how to do it, it's all your fault'. Whether the smartness or the stupid, the success or the lost, the achievement or the fault are all related to Fathers. Fathers are not only in charge of implicative responsiblities of economy and morality, but also they are in the charge of society and the whole family at all levels. No one can expect the earnings from the only child, but the opportunity cost of education failure is 100%. Therefore, Father is the yardstick of chilrren that is difficult to control.