National Sons Day 2027 is on Thursday

About National Sons Day

The day encourages parents and other relatives to spend time with their sons, tell them what they appreciate about them, and pass on skills and values. It is often framed around being a good role model, with suggestions such as teaching a practical skill or connecting a boy with a mentor.

According to the National Day Calendar registry, Jill Nico created National Sons Day in 2018 to honor sons and those who raise them. The registry says she chose early spring because it felt like the right season, and because March 4 sounds like "march forth," which gives the date a sense of forward motion. It also notes an earlier campaign in the late 1990s by a group using the same name, which promoted a take-your-sons-to-work day as a counterpart to the daughters' version; those efforts were later combined.

The day has no official status. Some calendars list a National Sons Day on September 28 instead, but no founder is documented for that date, so March 4 is the one with a named creator. Families can mark either, or both.

Sources: National Day Calendar registry: National Sons Day, KEYC News: National Sons Day celebrates both sons and their parents (2020). How we check dates.

How to mark National Sons Day

• Teach your son a practical skill you learned from a parent or grandparent, such as cooking a family recipe or changing a tire.
• Spend uninterrupted time together on something he chooses.
• Tell him what you admire about his character, not only his grades or game results.
• Ask how he's really doing, and make room for him to talk about his feelings.
• Connect a boy who lacks a steady role model with a mentoring program in your community.

National Sons Day dates