Dads are not always known for making their feelings apparent, for honing in on their emotional sensitivity, or for their verbal use of the phrase, "I love you." It took the event of me moving 354.8 miles away to realize the different ways that my dad used to say he "loved me" while I was growing up. You always know how your parents feel about you, but you rarely stop to think about exactly how you know. Sure, both of my parents said "I love you" to myself, to my siblings, and to each other, but the depth of that love isn't measured by the frequency of that particular phrase, but by the actions that surround it. Since I've grown up and out of the house, I've come to realize the monumental impact that these "little things" my dad did for me have come to shape me into the person I am today.
1. He was willing to let you steal the show from the get-go.
You will encounter a very small number of individuals who will ever willingly let you steal the spotlight from them. The day you were born, you likely stole the spotlight from your parents in regard to being your grandparents' pride and joy. Let's face it, by the time their grandkids are born, they're super tired of our parents anyway. We were born as the brand new, deluxe, 2.0 versions of our parents, so naturally, our grandparents put us up on the pedestal that is rightfully ours. Our dads so willingly gave up their #1 position because we were born to steal the show. You will never find another man that will so selflessly give you the spotlight and never complain about it.
2. He gave you the best "shot" at life.
If you come from a hunting family you know the rivalry that surrounds each season as they come and go each year. Unselfish, fatherly love is best captured in the moment that your dad lets you take the first shot at the only buck you've seen all season. He's putting the ultimate trust and faith in your shot. He's just crossing his fingers and praying that all those hours at the shooting range have paid off. At this point, it can go either way, and yet, he's letting you take the shot even though his hunting skills far surpass those of your own at age 15.
3. He protected you from the scary things in life.
Whether it be the monster under your bed, college applications, or the rattlesnake slithering around your yard, you can be sure that your dad will be the first one to come to your rescue, because that's his job and he's good at it.
4. He became an animal person because you're an animal person.
I think that most little girls are born with an unexplained love for all things with four legs and fluffy fur. I, for one, was born with an obsession for the four legged friends that don't necessarily fit inside the house to curl up at the foot of your bed at night. Dads generally learn pretty early on that it's wise to just agree with you, do some research, and let you bring home a few just for the sake of your happiness.
5. He taught you to the best of his ability about sports.
Let's face it, little girls come into this world with zero knowledge about sports, so it's their dad's job to educate them in all things NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, etc.
6. He knew that pre-prom/homecoming/formal festivities were always mandatory.
It's probably pretty safe to say that your dad wasn't the most interested in your up-do, your winged eyeliner, or how much damage your dress did to his wallet. However, you knew he was going to be the first one there with a camera, a few compliments, and a threatening comment or two for your date because that is just what came with the job description when the stork dropped you off on his front porch so many years ago.
7. He made you first mate on his fishing boat before you could even spell, B-O-A-T.
As soon as my hands were big enough to hang on to my 2'6" Snoopy casting rod, I was in a boat with my dad out on the lake. Lord only knows the kind of patience it probably took to teach a child the skill of casting in a small fishing vessel. You can only snag the shore, the boat, the trees, the reeds, and your dad so many times before you realize how much he must actually love you. Unbeknownst to me, those early days on the lake would evolve into many, many weekends spent wading in rivers and lakes with my fly rod in hand and dad not too far down the bank from me, trying to catch a whopper.
8. He loved you through every broken bone and every year of being a "brace face."
Unfortunately, the process of growing up isn't always that beautiful. It can actually be really ugly at times. All you can do is be grateful that your dad still posed for pictures with you throughout those years. He held your hand through every trip to the ER and never made a comment about the newest metal appliance in your mouth, and even paid the orthodontist bill without grumbling too much.
9. He took the time to make you a well rounded sports fan.
It may have started with the hunting shows every Saturday morning, the kite flying on the beach, the frisbee golf in Neshotah Park, the archery lessons, or maybe it was the frigid ice fishing experiences. Whatever it was, he made sure to put in the time and effort to show you how to be well rounded in your sporting endeavors. There is more to life than football, basketball, and baseball when your dad puts in the effort to show you all that is out there.
10. When you got stuck between a rock and a hard place, you knew who to call first.
If you know who your first call needs to be made to when you're in trouble, confused, worried, or just need to chat, then your dad did his job. I find myself reaching for my phone more often than not and just wishing he didn't have a real job so we could just talk on the phone all day. Realistically, that rarely happens, but when I need it, you can be sure that he has the time for me. Years of persistent effort on his part has made me comfortable for when life gets tough because it's easy to call someone you know can solve all problems because he's been there at one point too. When/if you ever encounter a problem he hasn't already faced, at least you know you don't have to face it without him by your side.
11. The T.V. didn't raise you, he did.
The extra effort it took him to get out of bed early on a Saturday when he had worked all week long went unnoticed until I turned 18. Once I started college and simultaneously had a job, I realized he could only have been ten times more tired than I am now, and yet, he was out of bed and taking
12. When he let you act like a princess (against his better judgement).
Little did he know that he was doing the world a disservice when he empowered his little girl enough in her own little world that she felt like a princess. He was good at saying "no" when I really deserved a stern answer, but the role of a dad is so much easier to wrangle into your plots and schemes as princess of the house. It's not quite so easy to convince your mom (the queen) that no nap was going to be a good thing, that extra scoop of ice cream was going to be beneficial to your growth or ordering pizza instead of cooking was actually a wise choice. Good thing God gave us dads to play the role of the mediator to occasionally go up to bat for
13. He was there for everything.
He didn't miss many sporting events, he didn't take a rain check on piano recitals, he was present for birthdays, he came to every school assembly, and you can bet your bottom dollar he was there for the entire weeklong festivity that your graduation consisted of. Being at every event (within reason) was his consistent way of showing how much he cared. Obviously, you can't stop and thank him now for every individual event he ever attended, but go ahead and thank him for being so involved. He was only there because he loved you.
14. He didn't have to verbalize it, you just knew.
I could go my entire adult life without even hearing the phrase "I love you" from my dad, because I already know. In this case, the phrase, "actions
