Father’s Day is a time to reflect and show appreciation for the dads in your life. But what do dads appreciate? These 12 fathers weigh in on the little things that make them love parenting.
1. “Something that always floors me is when I catch my daughter inadvertently copying one of my mannerisms. For example, I always hum or sing to myself when I clean up and sweep and do dishes, and I notice that’s something she does all the time with her chores now, too. I don’t even think it’s on purpose. It’s adorable.” — Nick
2. “I’m a new dad, so it’s… everything. Can my answer be everything? I’m blown away by the experience.” — Eric
3. “My son is a toddler now, and he’s very independent. Well, he thinks he’s independent. For me, it’s those moments where he still needs me. Either he needs me to fix his train tracks or he just wants a hug. Those moments still get me every time.” — Adam
4. “Any time I see my son or daughter do something good, I know I’m doing my job as a parent. They’re both young, so it’s little things, but seeing them share a toy or check on another kid who fell on the playground … that makes me so proud.” — Brian
5. “My daughter is always excited to see me. Whether it’s because she woke up at 4 a.m. or I’m just getting home from work. As a parent, seeing her face light up because of me makes everything worth it.” — Drew
6. “My two sons were born less than a year apart. So right now, my favorite thing about being a dad are the few, precious hours of uninterrupted sleep I get. There are other things too, probably, but I’m too tired to remember them.” — Stephen
7. “My favorite thing is watching my daughter experience new things for the first time through her eyes. She’s at an age where she’s really starting to pick up on things. So, things like this last Christmas and her getting to play in the snow. It makes me feel like a kid again.” — Jay
8. “Family time. Any kind of family time I get with my daughter is amazing. I’ve been working a lot of long hours recently, so the time I get to spend is so important.” — Shawn
9. “I know it’s bad to do this, but I love when my son falls asleep in bed with me. I know that he’s old enough that I need to be getting him into the crib so he doesn’t get used to this, but I don’t know. I guess I’m a sucker.” — Mike
10. “I love when my son figures something out. The other day I was showing him pictures in a photo album, and I showed him a picture and said, ‘That’s daddy when he was a baby.’ He pulled this face like, ‘holy shit!’ I couldn’t stop laughing.” — David
11. “My son just turned two, and he’s already such a goofball. He always tries to make everyone laugh, and I love that. He runs around dancing and making funny noises and putting toys on his head. He cracks himself up, and that makes me laugh so much.” — Jim
12. “My daughter spent time in the NICU and we’ve had her home for eight months now. Everything is fine now, but after our experience with her as a newborn, I’m telling you: Every day is a blessing.” — Ben
