On Sunday families will come together for the day to honor the men in our lives who mean the world to us. They will go out to breakfast and the sale of ties will be at the highest of the year. This is the week in which children will be making small gifts in their classrooms as a reminder to their father how much they love and care about them. This is meant to be a time of appreciation for the men in our lives who brought us life, the man who made us into the person we are today, and the most important man we know of since the day we were born. They are little girls' superheroes and little boys' hope to be like their father when they are older. They are the provider and the protector. A father may also not always be the man that you share DNA with, but may just be the man who helps to raise you and helps you to grow as a person. Sunday becomes a day of love and a time in which we can show these men how thankful we are to have them in our lives.

Unfortunately, not every kid gets to have these special moments on Father's Day. Some kids may be lucky enough to grow up with two special men that they get to celebrate, but sometimes they don't have anyone. It becomes a time in which at school they have no one to give their Father's Day craft to. It becomes a day that they dread rather than one that they can celebrate. It becomes a day of constant reminder of the one thing that they don't have that all the other kids do. It reminds them of their loss and causes them to dwell on it more than any other day. Some kids live in a home where their father walked out, and sometimes the kids lose their father in tragedy, either due to sickness or some other unforeseen accident. In some cases, another male relative or close family friend will try to ease this pain and loss, but nothing ever substitutes the lack of a father in a child's life.

Losing a parent at any age is one of the most heartbreaking things a person will ever go through, it is especially difficult for a child to lose a parent when the child is at a young age. I lost my father 7 years ago to cancer. I was only 13 when he passed and I remember that day as clear as if it happened yesterday. He was my best friend and Superman, and I was his little princess. Even after all of this time. I still do not fully understand how he can really be gone. You never truly get over the passing of a parent, but you just learn how to cope with it and survive with it. You try to move on but even years after you will catch your mind wandering back to them, thinking about what life would be like if they were around. You think about what they will not be able to experience and everything that they have already missed.

I think about how he was never able to see me graduate high school and he will not be there to see me graduate from college next year. He can no longer walk me down the aisle when I get married and will not be able to hold my future children, his grandchildren. After his death, I did not tell anyone because I did not want any more pity. I was tired of the sad looks and the awkward conversations because no one actually knows what to say to a child who just lost a parent. Everyone I came in contact with meant well, but unless you have gone through the same loss, it is often difficult to sound sincere and it is impossible for words to make the pain go away. To this day, I cannot talk about him because I become too overwhelmed with emotion. It is often easier to push away any thoughts of him rather than talk about the memories and the what ifs. Certain songs still remind me of him and when I hear them I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I always wonder if he is proud of the woman I have become and if I have been making the right decisions for my life since he can no longer guide me. Everything I do, I now do to make him proud as he watches down over me and when things become difficult I always know I have my guardian angel looking down.

When talking with a fatherless child, do not worry about trying to protect them. They are often more emotionally strong than you think they are. Yes, you should be gentle with them and supportive but do not ever patronize them. Remember they have probably had hundreds of people telling them that "It will get easier" and that "They understand how hard this must be for them". The truth is you do not know how hard the pain is unless you have been in those shoes. Losing a parent when you are a child is a million times harder than losing them when you are grown. You miss out on hundreds of memories and they won't be there for key life milestones that everyone else gets to experience. It doesn't matter if the loss was two months ago or 10 years, the pain never goes away. So if it is difficult for them to talk about their father, do not force them to, let them talk to you if and when they are ready. Let them know that you are there for them but do not be overbearing and make the child's life as normal as you can.

Be mindful that every situation and every child is different. They will experience different emotions based on how they lost their father, when they lost them, and how close the relationship was. If the father walked out, they may hold some resentment, so if they lash out in anger remember what they have already been through. If they lost their parent to illness or another death, understand that grieving is a process and it is not a cookie cutter type system. Some children understand death more than others and some will not truly comprehend that their father is gone forever. They may cry at random times or they make become overwhelmed in a fit of anger. Do not single them out or punish them for these emotions, if they are lashed out at you understand that they do not intend to do these things but often cannot control it. Take your time and let them take theirs. Some children will cry for weeks and some will barely shed a tear, that does not always mean that they care more than others, they may just be coping with the pain differently.

Do not be afraid to talk about your own father with us. Yes, it may hurt for us to know that we cannot share the same stories, but that does not mean we do not want you to have them. You do not need to shield us and if we are uncomfortable or upset with the conversation we will say so. Just make sure of one thing, do not ever let that child forget that they are loved. Let them know that they have other people around them who want the best for them and if you are a male in this child's life, become that father figure for them, they will need you more than you will ever realize. Little girls will need someone to protect her when someone is mean to her and to show her what her standards of men should be as she gets older. Little boys will need someone who can teach them how to play sports, change a tire, and how they should treat a woman and be a perfect gentleman.

To the kids who remain fatherless on Sunday - know that it is okay to feel 10 different emotions and it is also okay to feel nothing at all. If you do not grieve like those around you, understand that there is nothing wrong with you. It may be hard for you to be alone on Sunday so do something that makes you happy. If you like to paint, make the most beautiful picture you can. If being active keeps you happy, go for a long walk and just admire the beautiful world outside. Keep your mind positive and it will make all the difference. The pain at sometimes may seem unbearable but it does become easier and even though they are gone you will still do amazing things. After losing your father, it is not about being able to forget them and no longer thinking about them. It is about being able to look back and having the smile return to your face. If they walked out on you, it is their loss, not yours, someone else will value you and be the male role model you need in your life. If they passed, know that they are looking down on you and could not be more proud of the person you are and the person that you will become as you grow up.

On Sunday when you are with your father, hold them a bit tighter and make sure to tell them that you love them more than once. Let them tell you stories about when you were a kid and when they were a kid. These are the stories you will remember when they are gone. These will be the stories you tell to your own children. Make sure to fully appreciate every second you have with them because you do not know when that moment will be your last and those of us who remain fatherless on Sunday would give anything to have them back.