Mom Faces Backlash For ‘Lack Of Respect’ In Having Lunch With Her Kids At Their Father’s Gravesite For Father’s Day

Sep 18, 2023

Father’s Day is set aside for the memorable celebration of fathers. In many countries, every third Sunday in June is an opportunity for families to pay tribute and honor fathers for their influence in the family. Since there is no traditional way of carrying out the celebration, different families have celebrated their fathers in different, unique ways. While some fathers are physically present, others celebrate their fathers even in death.

One such family that has celebrated their father on Father’s Day for years after his passing is the Rosenthal family. Not only have they continually honored their late patriarch for over a decade, but they have also built a Father’s Day tradition around it.

According to a May 22, 2023 video shared by the Rosenthal family matriarch on their TikTok page, the Rosenthal family started in 1986, when Robin and Mark Rosenthal tied the knot in a wedding ceremony in California. During their marriage, the couple welcomed two children: a son, Sam Rosenthal, and a daughter, Emma Rosenthal. However, the 24-year-old union ended in 2010 following Mark’s tragic death.

Mark’s unfortunate separation from the family meant Robin had to continue raising the kids alone in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Although the family went through a period of grief after Mark passed, they were eventually comforted by his memories. Mark’s passing did not mean that his family forgot him; together, Robin and the children have continued preserving Mark’s memory by celebrating him at any given opportunity. With the family becoming content creators, they shared their Father’s Day tradition on Instagram in June 2022 and June 2023. However, they received backlash from social media users for doing so. Keep reading to find out more. 

For the Rosenthals, out of sight isn’t out of mind, so they have continued to honor their father 13 years after his passing. The family first shared a video of their Father’s Day tradition with their budding internet community on June 19, 2022. In the video, which Sam captured, Robin and Emma were seen eating sandwiches by Mark’s gravesite. As they ate, Robin shared some with Mark by tossing a fry at this grave.

“Father’s Day lunch with Dad!” Sam said before asking his mom where his dad was. "Down there, in the ground," Robin responded and motioned to Mark’s grave.

The post generated several mixed reactions from Instagram users, who wasted no time in airing their opinions on it.

“That’s Disgusting,” one person wrote. “Lack of respect,” one user commented. “Not funny at all 😢😢,” another said.

“This is weird and they have sauce or whatever all over there mouths and the dancing while sitting it’s all so very uncomfortable to watch,” a fourth user commented. “I love her humor,” another wrote.

One year after they posted the first video on social media, the family shared another video on June 19, 2023, in celebration of their 12th Father’s Day celebration since Mark passed. Although Robin was the only one featured in the clip, Sam and Emma’s voices were heard in the background. The family lightened the mood by sharing some dark humor as they enjoyed their lunch.

Like the 2022 post, the 2023 post attracted some mixed reactions.

“I look forward to these posts every Father’s Day 😂,” one person wrote. “Weird how people will defend all types of 'dark humour' except when it actually *is* people using humor to cope with their own dark situation,” another wrote. “This isn’t even funny, it’s disrespectful,” another opined.

What do you think of the Rosenthal family's Father’s Day tradition? Do you think it is humorous? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to friends, family, and those who would find it interesting.