The Importance of a Father

Often times, real fathers are overlooked, undervalued and unappreciated. Everyone focuses on the mothers, their wants and needs and the role they play in a child’s life. Although moms serve a pivotal role in the development of each child she bears, fathers do the same. At 32, I am still appreciating my father. As a teen, I rebelled, I snuck around, acting as if I were grown and I was defiant. I often got in trouble for doing things I knew I shouldn’t do. I tested the waters too many times but, God never took his hands off me and kept me covered so that I could share this story. The importance of a father. At 22, scared to death at the reaction I would receive, I told my father — after a basketball game, that I was pregnant with my first child. The courage that it took to gather those words is a moment I’ll never forget. My father raised me the right way. To not have an active father in his life, he raised me the best way he knew how and although I strayed away from some of his life’s lessons, he never judged me. When I finally uttered the words “I’m pregnant”, I imagined the reaction I’d get from him would be one of complete disappointment. After all, I was unmarried and just 22 years old, trying to finish my last semester of college at North Carolina State University. Instead of disappointment, my father grabbed me in his arms, hugged me and told me “Okay, you’re going to be okay. I’m here for you, okay?” That moment forever changed me. I had already told my mother, prior to telling my father but, in that moment my father showed up for me. Not just in words, but in the way his voice cracked and the sincerity behind every syllable. And somehow, that was just what I needed. I believed those words. Not because I was ready to have a baby and had it figured out but because my father told me I would be okay and I believed him, wholeheartedly. The importance of a father stems way beyond our physical reach. Life with a mother is just not enough. You need a father too. I need my father, every single day — to show up in ways that I know only he can. To ease my fears in only a way that he can. To give me years of life’s advice in the moments that only he can. For accountability, even when I don’t want to hear it. For the unconditional, unwavering love that’s shown in my face and behind my back. For conversations that aren’t always pretty but, are necessary for my growth. For being my cheerleader and someone I can bounce my ideas off of. Everyday, my father shows me why having an active father is so important. Every year I get to spend with him reminds me to always take advantage of the time God has loaned him to me. It’s Fathers Day 2026 and I’m writing this story to say how much I love you, appreciate you and need you. May you always feel valued in this lifetime and the next. I love you, dad!