The 1 Thing I Should Tell My Dad More

When I was little, my dad used to tickle my sister and I until we couldn't take it anymore. We would run around the living room, trying to hide and get away from him while he chased after us. We acted like we hated it, but we actually loved it. We thought our dad was so funny and we enjoyed the thrill of it all.

Now, post-tickling age, I still love to joke around with my dad. There's nothing I enjoy more than sitting down with him, having a drink, and laughing about whatever ridiculous thing happened to us that week. I'm not sure he realizes how much I look up to him. His opinion means so much to me, and I value the time I get to hangout with him. He is my hero. I don't think I've ever told him that.

And he is my hero for so many reasons. I admire how much he has unconditionally loved my mom for 26 years. I admire his passion and commitment to his job in law enforcement. I admire how brave he is in the face of scary situations. I admire how he can command the attention of an entire room with his booming laugh and ridiculous jokes.

He treats my boyfriend like family. He takes me out to lunch on my work break. All those little things really add up to something so much bigger. I could go on, but you get the idea — my dad is a great man. To be honest, I can't recall a time when I reminded him of that.

We should be reminding our fathers today and every day that they are our heroes. Not only for the big things that they do, but for the little things as well. Because they will continue to be wonderful dads no matter how much gratitude we give them, and that's commendable enough as it is.

Go thank your dad for everything he does, give him a hug, and remind him how much he's appreciated. It's the easiest and most impactful thing you'll do all day.