Dads come in all kinds—quiet and steady, loud and full of life, strict, silly, never ending comic relief, adventurous, or the ones who stand in a hallway in a bad storm. They may be the ones on sidelines with a camera and a cooler or running home for forgotten slippers in the middle of a dance recital. Some sit in music recitals, others watch chess matches, while others still coach soccer games and basketball.
Some are biological, some are chosen. Some raised us from day one, and others stepped in when it mattered most. But no matter their shape or style, one thing remains true: dads are the quiet structure behind so much of what keeps families standing strong.
They’re the early morning risers and late-night thinkers. The fixers and the steady hands on the wheel. They’re the man cave builders, garage space designers, and some are backyard warriors.
Sometimes, they carry the weight of being the “bad guy”—the one who says no, who sets the rules, who protects even when it isn’t popular. It’s not always easy to be that kind of strength. And yet, they do it anyway, often without asking for thanks.
Dads are the first to lift the heavy things and the last to talk about how heavy it was.
But behind all that strength? There’s almost always a big kid at heart. The dad who makes corny jokes at the worst (and best) times. The one who builds couch forts and teaches cannonballs and frogsplashes. The one who goes to the car wash way too many times 🙂 Who blasts music on road trips and pool parties, wrestles in the living room, has pillow fights and still has nicknames for everyone no matter how grown up they are.
Dads are protectors and providers, but if you’re blessed enough to have one like my girls do, they’re also playmates and pranksters, shoulders to cry on, and the ones who can still surprise us with a piece of wisdom that comes out when we least expect it.
Not all of us were given dads like that. Some of us grew up without a strong male figure, or with one who wasn’t able to give what we needed. That’s why today, I’d like to honor the men who chose to break the cycle—those who give what they didn’t get, love in ways they weren’t shown, and provide for their children and spouses what was never provided for them. Your courage to become something new is nothing short of heroic.
So here’s to the dads who teach us how to be strong without being hard, and who remind us that love doesn’t always have to look like flowers and warm fuzzies—sometimes it looks like oil changes, lawn mowing, and always making sure the doors are locked at night.
To every dad out there who shows up, sacrifices, and brings joy in his own unique way- Thank you.
And thank you to the dad my girls get to celebrate today. We love you!
