My parents got divorced when I was ten and after that, my dad got every other weekend and Wednesday nights. He also called every night, even though many times my sister and I could not be bothered to talk to him. There were nights we didn’t want to go out on Wednesdays, because we had homework or there was a show we wanted to watch. So, on those nights, my dad would just come sit in our room, order in and sit with us, while we were doing whatever it was we had to do. My sister and I gave him a pretty hard time, but he kept coming over and kept calling regardless. It made it so much easier when we were older and finally valued our relationship. He was still right there, available like always. Establishing that one night a week for dinner has now carried over to my dad spending time with my kids. He likes to make it a regular reoccurring event. It’s still Wednesday nights, like when I was ten.

I asked the Mommy Shorts Squad to tell me stories about their dads and below are a few of my favorites!

1) “My dad was a single dad to three girls starting in the late 80s, when French braids were all the rage. We drove to my aunt’s one weekend so he could get a crash course. He mostly got it, but it was a different story when we got back home and there was no one to help out. He figured out that the best way to get our hair to cooperate was if we laid down on top of the kitchen counter with our head hanging off the end, while he practically did a split to be low enough. But damn, he made it happen! He had big, strong, working hands, so our French Braids were so tight and perfect, we got nothing but compliments. No one could believe it was my dad who did our hair. People asked if he was a hairstylist. Which is truly the funniest thing ever, if you knew him.” – Brady

2) “My dad is a graduate professor at our local university. When I was a freshman in an out of state college, my dad would come for the whole week of finals every semester, camp out in the study room in the basement of my dorm and hold study sessions for students who wanted help. He would stay until two in the morning helping anyone. He also sent me a dozen roses (the only time I think he’s ever sent flowers) one day after I had failed a hard calculus test. I still have them dried 20 years later. Dads are awesome.” – Libbiey

3) “My dad traveled a lot for work when I was a kid. February was a big deal for us because he was usually home the entire month. This also meant that Valentine’s Day was extra special to our family. My dad loved helping us make our Valentine’s Day box to bring to school. In 6th grade, I decided I was too old for a box. He tried to get me to make one everyday but I kept telling him no, I was too old. Then, right before bed on February 13th, I had an epic meltdown about how I didn’t have a box and my life would be over. My dad told me that I made a choice and would have to face the consequences, but life would
continue on. I was devastated. The next morning, I woke up to this immaculate box that was decorated insanely over the top. I ran to my dad, he hugged me and said, ‘Don’t ever be afraid to tell me when you’ve messed up. I’ll move mountains to see you smile.’ I’m 31 and still have that box.” – @mrsshill828

4) “I moved into a new apartment during college. As I was unpacking, I shut the bathroom door and locked myself out. The doorknob was broken and I could not get back in. It was a Saturday, and the landlord said he couldn’t come to fix it until Monday. But it was my only bathroom! I called my dad and he drove three hours to replace the doorknob for me. He took me out to lunch and then drove back! I miss him every day.” – Brooke

5) “I once got a round hairbrush stuck in my hair. My mom wanted to cut it out and I got so upset that my dad stepped in. He sat there for over an hour slowly untangling. I will never forget how patient and gentle he was.” – Taylor

6) “Once I had plans to have friends over after work. My plan was to order pizzas because I was too busy to do anything else. My dad felt that being a good host/hostess was very important and an act of love. He whipped up a bunch of appetizers and goodies and left them in my apartment when I was at work. He even remembered that one of them was a vegetarian and got special food for her. I never forgot it and now, when I have people in my home, I try my hardest to be a good hostess. It makes me feel connected to him, now that he’s gone. Like, ‘See, Dad? I got this!” – Anne

7) “When my 2yo daughter was obsessed with The Greatest Showman, my dad built her a small cane to go with her top hat, and he made one for himself so they could listen together and act it out. Now she is four and obsessed with Rey from Star Wars. My dad made her a replica of Rey’s quarterstaff, using YouTube and cosplay directions to make it as authentic as possible.” – ML

8) “I was extremely nervous for my first job interview and had recently learned to drive. I asked my dad for directions to get there and he showed me all the possible routes. Then, on the day of the interview, he showed up to take me there. He said he didn’t want me to have to look for parking or walk a long distance in high heels. Dads are the best.” – Yoly

9) “My dad dropped me and a friend off at a house party freshman year of high school. He knew I was unsure about it so he waited around the corner for an hour in case I called! I did call, haha.” – Kristen

10) “When I was 16, I took an interest in the military and wanted to join Sea Cadets, an ROTC-type of program that operated out of a Coast Guard base about 45 minutes from where we lived. My dad drove me every Saturday for months to the base at 6am so I could do ‘drill’ with my friends. He never complained once about the time, distance, or having to do it on his days off. When I grew up and decided to join the military, he was nothing but supportive.” – Kris

11) “I got in a car accident when I was around 24, while out doing home visits as a social worker. He was my immediate first call and dropped what he was doing to drive 45 minutes to rescue me. He helped me deal with the tow truck, the repair shop, even looking at new cars when we thought mine was totaled… not sure he ever asked/cared if it was my fault or the other guy’s. Just one of the many times he’s bailed me out unconditionally.” – Amy

12) “My dad sends me inspirational quotes every morning. I love it. The fact that he looks for one to send to me each day means more than what it actually says.” – Merry

13) “When I was wedding dress shopping, I was having zero luck. Then the attendant brought out a designer dress and it was perfect. I looked at the price tag and thought— well, that was fun playing dress up! My mom suggested I call my dad. I called him and told him the price. He didn’t even hesitate. He just asked if it was the one. I said yes and then he said, ‘Well, go buy it!” – Lauren

14) “I was trapped in an abusive, very dangerous relationship. My boyfriend owned a ton of weapons and was stalking my apartment. The only person I trusted to tell was my dad. He drove up to my place at 2AM (3 hours away) and sat in a chair for 6 hours to guard me. When it was morning, he snuck me out back in a rented car, covered me in a blanket, and took me to the cops to file a restraining order. He stayed with me for three work days until it was complete and I had police patrolling. Never passed judgement. Never asked questions or doubted me. He just did it because he was my dad and that’s what dads should do.” – Michelle

15) “My dad, a single parent, would take me camping at least once a year. We would sleep in sleeping bags in a tent. On one trip, when I was about 9 years old, it got so cold that I started crying in my sleep. My dad heard me and gave me his sleeping bag for extra warmth. I don’t know how he kept warm that night, but I was able to drift comfortably back to sleep. He died when I was 11. I’m 33 now. It’s still hard not having him around, but I’m grateful for the memories have.” – Caitlyn

16) “My dad always left notes, riddles and funny drawings before he left for work in the morning. He wrote our birthday and holiday cards, and he was the tooth fairy. Every time we lost a tooth, we would write the tooth fairy, asking questions and telling her the story of how we lost our tooth. He used to draw pictures and write these elaborate notes back. I have them all saved in a stack somewhere. I don’t really know when I knew it was him; his handwriting is so distinct. But I ALWAYS acted surprised, like it was the best thing ever.” – Kristen

17) “When I was around 13, I got a TERRIBLE haircut that was too short and totally unflattering. I had a meltdown about how embarrassed I was. I was such a teenager. The next morning, before school, my dad woke up super early to take me to the one nearby department store to get hair clips to try to style it in a flattering way. It was such a small thing, but made a huge impact to my ‘lil teen self!” – Alexandra

18) “My mom is a nurse and growing up, she worked night shift a lot, which left my dad waking us up and getting us ready for school. One year, on my first day of school, I wanted my hair a certain way based off a hairstyle book I had. My dad studied and studied how to make this hair do. By the first day of school, he had totally perfected it and bought cute glitter hair clips to go with it. I’ll never forget him waking me up a little earlier that day, so we could make sure he did it right.” – Tess

19) “I used to get upset when my Dad dropped my sister and I off at Sunday School. So, he parked in the lot and waited outside for us the entire time. Years later, I asked him whether he used to sneak off when he knew I was settled and he said ‘no, just in case you ever looked out, I wanted you to see me there.’ He died 6 years ago and I miss him so very much.” – Lou

20) “My dad and I road tripped to New York in the fall of 2017 to see the Twins play the Yankees on my birthday. I asked if we were going to the Baseball Hall of Fame too, because I had never been there. He said no because it was out of the way. I was super disappointed. After a day and a half of driving, I looked up from my book to see a sign that said, ‘Welcome to Cooperstown’. I was BEYOND excited!!! Best dad ever!!!!” – Tina

21) “The day before I left for my freshman year of college, my dad took me to Best Buy to get my first laptop. We weren’t the richest family, but he worked hard so I knew I would get a nice HP or something like that. My dad surprised me and bought me the best MacBook at the time. It was well over $1000. I was literally brought to tears. His only request was that I do well at school. He’s my best friend.” – Makeda

22) “When I was 21, I lost a lot of weight. A family friend was over and said, ‘look at your daughter; isn’t she beautiful now?’ My dad said ‘she’s always been beautiful.’ Sadly, he died three years later but I will never forget that as long as I live.” – Cris

23) “I was moving from VT to FL. I wasn’t sure of the move because of a boy. My dad was driving me. When we got 5 hours into the trip, I freaked out and changed my mind. He kindly brought me home. When he went to bed, he told me to wake him if I decided to go in the AM and he’d be ready. He drove me to Florida, no complaints, no questions, the next day.” – Johanna

24) “After my first boyfriend (first love) broke up with me, my dad listened to me about how unfair it was and how much I loved this guy. Then took me in his arms and rocked me. I was 20. He told me ‘This is going to hurt for a while, but you will grow from this heartache and meet a guy who truly deserves you and loves you almost as much as I do.’ He was right. I did.” – Katie

25) “My dad worked for the airlines when my brother and I were growing up. He took our family all over the world. He was very frugal and we would always travel on a budget. He taught us to eat at local markets instead of dining out and we explored on our own instead of with tour guides. He’d take us mostly to historical sights, national parks and museums. As a kid, I longed to go to theme parks and ‘fun’ places. My dad struggled with depression and took his own life when I was 17 and my brother was 11. I look back on all those trips to Rome, Florence, Amsterdam, Auckland, Sedona and Yellowstone and I’m so thankful that we got to experience those places with my family. Those cities, monuments, parks and museums were much more rich in culture and history than any themed park could ever offer. I appreciate all those life skills that my dad taught me and still use them today when I travel with my family. I miss him everyday. Tell your dad how much you appreciate him.” – Lei

Please share your stories in the comments below!