What Does It Mean to Be a Dad?

Dad. Father. Daddy. Papa. There are many words used to describe a dad. Everyone has their own experience with dads, whether good or bad. A dad is not always the person who helped give you life; other times it is. The concept of dads and fatherhood can be hard to nail down. Everyone’s experiences are so diverse. My experiences with dads has been generally positive. My own dad and my husband are the ones who have left the biggest impression on me about fatherhood.  

From a very young age, I remember being a daddy’s girl. My mom worked full time; my dad worked part time and was the main caregiver, giving me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him. We were very close and I felt like I could talk to him about anything. As an adult, I still greatly value my relationship with my dad. I feel like I can go to him for advice and support. He is also a wonderful grandfather to my little Nini.

 Picture on left: My dad and I dancing when I was little

Picture on right: My dad and I dancing on my wedding day

My husband, Ryan, is a great daddy to our almost two-year-old. He will get on the floor and play, as well as do the hard stuff, like caring for Nini when she is sick. I can see what kind of dad Ryan is when Nini exclaims, “Daddy!” when he gets home from work, and she starts bouncing from excitement. 

Ryan and Nini on a camping trip

But what exactly is a dad? What purpose does a dad serve? What does it mean?

Well to help me answer this, I reached out to a few dads and asked them this question: 

What does it mean to be a dad? 

Here are the answers I received: 

"It means experiencing the excitement and pure joy at the birth of each of my children. It means loving someone more than yourself. It means enjoying and guiding my children through each stage of development and seeing the many changes. It means having a wonderful journey with my children throughout life. It means appreciating the challenging times of being a parent. It means rejoicing with my children for their achievements."

-Roger (my dad)

“To be a dad means always being there for your kids. Take interest in what they are doing, even if it doesn’t interest you. Be excited when they achieve something they are proud of, and be there for them when they fail.”

-Ryan (my husband)

"Being a dad means never giving up, always making time, and trying to remember to brush teeth."

-Andrew

“Being a dad to me means that you have a responsibility and an opportunity to provide unconditional love to your children.  You need to always be approachable and keep the lines of communication open with your children so that they feel comfortable in coming to you and sharing whatever challenges they are dealing with. Being a dad means that you have a responsibility to teach your children to be good citizens and to treat others as the Savior would, and as they would want to be treated. Help them in obtaining their education and encourage them to further that education. Support them in all of their activities. Teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live it yourself, teaching and leading by example.”

-Vyrl

 “I think this is an ongoing journey that I have been on for the last twelve years. I'm still trying to figure it out. To be a dad is to provide, to teach, to love, to push, and to challenge children. To be a dad is to teach kids that it’s okay to risk and put yourself out there, that it’s okay to be silly and have fun. I'm here to protect and love and to be their foundation. My job is to help them become independent and to be able to fly through life on their own.”

-Bob

After seeing these answers to the question, “What does it mean to be a dad?” I can see the importance these men place in this role. I feel ill equipped to answer this question myself; I am not a dad and never will be. However, if I had to answer, I would say the answer is love. Being a dad means to love. 

So how would you answer the question:

What does it mean to be a dad?

Let me know in the comments.