Sometimes we forget the importance of a father. We downplay the dad role because, unfortunately, many dads walk out—they don't stick around. But instead of giving more praise to the ones who stay, we end up not giving them enough credit.

Our fathers (and the men who willingly step into the father's role) play more of a role than we will ever understand. After getting engaged and planning my wedding, I began considering what song my father and I would dance to at my wedding and it wasn't until I was trying to find the perfect words to capture the relationship between my father and I that I realized how often I take my dad for granted. So, to my dad, and all dads, this is an article of gratitude for you.

Our dads are our first protectors. They are the first people who fiercely, more than anything else, want to keep us safe and secure. They would do anything to ensure that we are kept protected from all of the harm in the world. And the truth is, they love when we come to them for protection from all of the things that scare us.

Our dads are our first guides. They take it upon themselves to ensure that we make the best decisions for ourselves. They love to be asked for advice or their opinion because our dads want to watch us succeed. They want to celebrate with us when we finally achieve our goals and the truth is that dads don't want us to succeed for them, they selflessly want us to succeed for ourselves.

Our dads are our first providers. Your mother gives of her own body in order to have you, but dads give their time, sweat, blood, and tears in order to provide the life they want you to have. Dads will break their backs to ensure you have everything you could ever want or need. Their desire to take care of you is unconditional and extends until you are old and have children of your own. Our dads always provide.

Our dads are our first coaches (and cheerleaders). I can remember being 8 years old, playing basketball in my backyard with my dad, then being 10 years old and playing volleyball with him. Anything I wanted, anything I desired to do or play, he coached me through it, trained me up in it in order to improve my skill. It didn’t just involve sports.

When I became a writer, he encouraged me and supported me in everything I did, telling me how I could improve and finding me opportunities to write. When I began acting in my school’s theatre productions, he listened to me rehearse lines for hours and offered counsel when he could. He came to every performance, every game, every recital, he was always there.

Yes, dads sometimes leave. Sometimes dads abandon their children to pursue alcohol or other families or a career, but that doesn’t mean that our real dads—the ones who do it right, the ones who stand by us—deserve less credit. Doesn’t it mean they deserve more? Because they are the ones who decide to be the better men.

They decide to be more than what they have to be. So this week, even after Father’s Day, thank your fathers, your step-fathers, your grandfathers, your uncles, your family friends, all of those in your life who step in and be the fathers we need them to be.