For those of us who grew up with just a dad, life could be a little challenging. It's not easy raising kids on your own, especially when you are a dude. Society teaches us that it's the women who are better at taking care of kids, but this is entirely false. Single dads should get the same credit single moms do: they cook, they clean, and they pull twice their weight. Though there are some things he'll never be able to do, he tried his hardest and cares for his kids deeply. So you should remember to thank him for all the times he's gone out of his way for you and your sibling. Thanks for making up for my absent mom and doing all of the following:
1. Learning how to cook...even if that meant pizza and burgers every night
Being a single dad means taking on the traditional "motherly" roles, such as cleaning and cooking. He never had to cook a day in his life, now suddenly, he has two hungry mouths dependent on him for sustenance. He might have taken cooking classes and eventually dropped out, but he prevented you from living off of frozen pizzas and ramen. And even though the majority of the meals come from the grill, you sure as hell aren't complaining. Burgers, steak, kebabs, and sausages are all still delicious.
2. Pretending to understand makeup while they patiently wait outside Sephora
He has no clue how it works, but he never asked questions when you insisted you needed Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray, all three Naked palettes, and four different shades of lipstick from MAC. You could always count on him to be waiting at the food court
3. Only pitching a slight fit at costly-ness of female clothes
Girls' clothes cost more and you need more of them. He might not understand your need to have 30+ pairs or the difference between a casual and formal dress, but he still indulges in your needs as a girl.
4. Teaching you how football/hockey/baseball and taking you to your first game
You grew up with ESPN on 24/7—you were going to have to learn how sports worked at some point or be hopeless bored for the entirety of your weekend. Eventually, you grew to love and root for the same teams as him. Now you can hold your own in any sports conversation and get to fully enjoy the games you go to.
5. Fixing anything and everything you broke
You accidentally ripped off the shower head? He had it back on before 6:30 a.m. You're car is making a weird noise? He's in the garage ready to change the oil. You spilled wine on your laptop? He's already drying out the switchboard. He someone has been blessed with the knowledge to fix anything and everything (or at least pretend like he does).
6. Cleaning up all of your messes—literally and metaphorically
It wasn't just the dog crap he cleaned up. Anytime you messed up at school, with friends, or on your team, he was always there to come save the day and magically make every problem disappear. He still washed all the dishes, the clothes, and steamed the floors whenever your friends trashed the house—basically Mr. Housekeeping.
7. For being the guarantor for your apartment...still
You can always count on him to review all of your legal documentation and be there to sign the witness form. No matter how old you get, you know you can count on him to sign that ever-scary guarantor paperwork.
8. Not being embarrassed to buy feminine hygiene products for you
You're out of tampons? All you had to do was send him a text and he would pick more up on the way home from work no problem. Not a lot of guys have the guts to do that, props.
9. Believing you needed birth control for "medical" reasons
Thanks for understanding we really didn't need to discuss this one. Just take what I'm saying at face value and leave it at that.
10. Coaching your soccer team, even though he had a full-time job
Business trips be damned—little league always took a priority. He didn't just come to your events, he was involved in them. Though the additional attention during practice could be daunting, he only wanted to push you and make you the best you that you could be. He also got you and himself to practices, games, and tournaments.
11. Taking you to five different prom dress stores and being the only male in them
And he never complained once. Even after the first four stores didn't have "the one." And he did it for all four proms you went to. All the other moms marveled at how involved and sweet he was, but they had no idea we both didn't have any other options. He even weighed in and gave actual advice on what looked best on you. Maybe making him watch "Project Runway" paid off after all.
12. Trying to console you after a heartbreak, but undoubtedly failing
He may not be the best with words, but he always puts his best effort forward. Let's face it: guys are usually not that great at dealing with emotions. So when you break-up with your first boyfriend, his first and only words were probably "he sucked anyway." Thanks, dad, I know you mean well.
13. Working his butt off so you can get and education
He gets up at 5 a.m. so he can be there when you and your brother get home from school. Not many people work that hard, but he has to pull twice the weight. He would have been fine living in an apartment by himself for the rest of his life, but everything he does is to get you and your siblings everything you need: braces, new clothes, food, a nice house, a dog, and most importantly, an education. Everything he does is so his kids can have a successful, happy life, even if that means sacrificing his own sometimes.
14. But always putting his kids first
Where it be a dance recital, a birthday, a big game, or graduation, the business trip or that meeting was going to be rescheduled. His kids are always his priority, and he always made sure to show up and be twice as loud when you needed cheering on.
15. Always answering his phone on the first few rings
Whether it's 1 a.m. or the middle of the workday, he always answers his phone lightening fast. You never have to call twice or wait more than a few seconds to ask him a trivial question (or for more meal points on your card). He's dependable, much like the OnStar of parents.
16. Taking you somewhere fun on Mother's Day
He knows that holiday can be especially tough. So he always managed to distract you with fun things instead—going to the beach, the movies, paintball, and my personal favorite, the annual Mother's Day trip to Hershey Park.
17. Helping you with your homework, especially math
Thank God he's good at math and science, 'cause you sure as hell aren't. Whenever you or your siblings had a question about calculus or chemistry, he was there to answer it. No Google necessary.
18. Having a sense of humor about things
Whether it be embarrassing you with your dance moves, laughing at how you and your brother left cheese on the ceiling for a few days or dealing with the thousands of candid Snapchats you take while he insists on wearing those dumb goggles while mowing the lawn, he is always there to laugh at the craziness that life can throw at people.
19. For always worrying about his kids
He's always concerned about your whereabouts, your grades, and who you are hanging out with. He has to do twice the worrying since he's all alone. He demands you get the Find My Friends app and always share your location with him. He gets you a tutor when your math grades start to slip. And he'll carry you upstairs when you fall asleep at dinner.
20. Showing you how to be strong when things don't go your way
Life is tough, and now so are you. Growing up with just a dad means that you were shown how to handle whatever life throws at you. You now can be as prideful as you want about your resilience.
21. Most importantly, for being both of your parents
Growing up with an absent mom can be tough, but he made every effort to fulfill both roles (and maybe even took it to extremes sometimes as shown above). Having to give the birds and the bees talk, help you pick what heels look best with what outfit, and doing most of the cooking and cleaning in addition to all the other traditional "dad" things is pretty taxing, and just know that your kids admire all the effort you put into trying to make our lives as normal as possible.
