At age sixteen, I came to the realization that the person I called “Daddy” was simply my father. For years, I was fooled that by my father that the meaning of a father and a dad are the same thing. Now, as an adult, I have accepted different they really are. Anybody can be a father. A father is a man who decided to sleep with your mother and helped to create you. A father will be in their child’s life and provide them with all of life’s necessities. A father requires less responsibilities. But a dad. That is a special job. Not every father can be a dad:

A father provides shelter, but a dad will shield you from the storms.

A father provides food, but a dad will give you food for thought.

A father will buy you a bike, but a dad will show you how to ride it.

A father will protect you, but a dad will show you how to protect yourself.

A father will tell you that you are beautiful, but a dad will show you how beautiful you are.

A father will give you tissues when you cry, but a dad will wipe the tears away.

A father will ask you what you like, but a dad will know exactly what you like.

A father will tell your significant other that you are their heart, but a dad will show them how much you mean to him and they will feel it.

A father can buy you a diamond ring, but only a dad can make you feel like a queen.

A father will love you for the moment, but a dad will love you unconditional.

A father will control you, but a dad will gladly loosen the reins.

A father will give you a map, but a dad will take the adventure with you.

A father will give you empty promises, but a dad will follow through with them.

A father will tell you want you should be, but a dad will tell you to follow your heart.

A father will hide when he hears a noise, but a dad will hop up with urgency.

A father can be absent, but a dad will forever be present.

Every child deserves to have a dad that will do all the above for them.I forced myself to believe that my father could be my dad. I thought that because he always favored me before my siblings and gave me whatever I wanted that that would make him my dad, but it did not. I wanted him to be there for me, not just physically but emotionally. I asked him to come to my therapy sessions, but he refused. The one time I asked him to be a dad for me, when I needed him, he was not there. He abandoned me emotionally when I needed him the most. In that instance, he let his ego override being a dad. That is when realized that the person I called "Daddy" was simply just my father and that is all he was willing to be.