A Letter to My Husband on Father’s Day

Last weekend, I went away. People asked me how you would deal with babysitting our baby all weekend long. This surprised me, because I did not think twice about it. I never thought of you as a babysitter, I thought of you as her father.

Because you are her father, you love hanging out with her for a weekend while I am away. Just like I would do the same if you were gone. Because you are her father, you are happy to be the one who brings her to the nursery on Sunday morning. When her number is called in church, you are happy to be the one who goes to see what’s wrong. Because you are her father, you change diapers, make food, clean messes, and put her to bed. Just as I do. Because you are her father, you make the effort to come home from work on time. You do your best to arrive home and spend time with her, instead of staying at work into the late hours of the night. Because you are her father, you care about me as her mother. You make sure that I am doing well, because you know that when I am at my best, our whole family thrives.

When I see you being a dad, I also see you as a model for other men.

For the men who don’t do these things for their wives and their daughters, you are an example. You are showing men the amazing outcomes that happen when you put your family first. You’re sharing ways that men can care for their wives who might be struggling in motherhood. You are showing women that having a partner who is present in parenting is possible. You’re showing daughters that dads can love and respect their children.

This Father’s Day, thank you for all you do for our family, for our relationship, and for other families who look to you as a role model. Fathers like you make this world a better place.