When I turned the page of my calendar this week, I naturally scanned the month of June for any sign of a potential holiday and saw that Father's Day is only about two weeks away.
At first I had my annual pessimistic thought: What did he do for me on Mother's Day? and I started going over the events of May 12 in my mind.
It's really not fair that Father's Day falls within a month of Mother's Day and that the majority of women can hold a grudge that long.
Most of my mommy friends, if they were honest, would say they ask themselves the same question when Father's Day rolls around. Many of us women feel unappreciated for all we do daily, and I've had several conversations with friends crushed that their hubby didn't honour them appropriately (or even remember them) on that Hallmark-inspired holiday we hold so dear.
So while I was weighing and measuring my husband's May 12 show of love and deciding what I should do in return, it hit me- my husband is an amazing father and he deserves recognition without any strings attached!
As I craft this column, he is listening to our 10-year-old daughter read him a book, giving me some time to finish my overdue writing assignment.
Earlier today, he was building one of five games for the school carnival coming up, and this morning he saved our daughter's frogs from a cat attack.
He may not remember what days the kids have swimming lessons or always pack the things I would in a backpack, but he's there for our children when they need him and he shows them how much he loves them daily.
It turns out being that kind of dad has bigger benefits than just creating happy kids.
For one, children with involved, caring fathers tend to do better in school. A number of studies suggest that dads who are involved, nurturing and playful have kids with higher IQs and better linguistic and cognitive capabilities. And a U.S. Department of Education study found children with highly involved birth fathers were 43 per cent more likely than other kids to earn high grades.
One study I stumbled upon talked about the importance of daddy play you know, that kind of rough-housing that moms like me caution husbands against. Apparently it's very important to a child's social and emotional development.
I guess I'll have to lay off a bit and stock up on the ice packs.
And just by sticking around, a dad could be doing right by his daughter.
A U.K. study found that girls whose dads left the home before they turned five years old were more likely to become depressed in adolescence.
Moms are often given the credit for raising well-adjusted children, but studies suggest dads are just as important.
Ronald P. Rohner, PhD, reviewed about 100 studies looking at the importance of fathers and noted in some cases the withdrawal of a father's love seems to play a bigger role in kids' problems with personality and psychological adjustment, delinquency and substance abuse.
His findings suggest a father's love in particular may do more to improve a child's emotional and physical health.
So don't forget to honour that important dad in your life on June 16, and if you happen to be celebrating your husband, you might want to throw a few of these facts his way.
I bet he'd like to know his rough-housing and hanging out around the house is critically important to the well-being of his children.
