06/21/2026
There’s a moment in every person’s life when their father stops being invincible and becomes, instead, just a man trying his best.
For some, it happens young. Maybe you saw him struggle to pay bills, watched worry cross his face when he thought no one was looking, or heard the uncertainty in his voice when he didn’t have all the answers. For others, it comes later, perhaps when you became a parent yourself and realized the weight of decisions he carried.
That realization can be uncomfortable. We want our fathers to be unshakeable, to have all the answers, to never doubt themselves. But there’s something profoundly beautiful about seeing them clearly, flaws and strengths together, and recognizing the courage it takes to show up anyway.
Some fathers were present and did their best. Some were absent, leaving wounds that still ache. Some were complicated, a mix of good intentions and painful mistakes. Father’s Day doesn’t require us to pretend relationships were perfect. But it offers us a chance to see our fathers with the same grace we hope others extend to us.
The men who fathered us were human. They had pressures we never saw and limitations they couldn’t always overcome. Perhaps the real gift is understanding that perfection was never possible, and that showing up despite imperfection is its own kind of strength.
Personally, it took me until I was nearly 30 to truly understand and appreciate my father. Now, he's my best friend - but that wasn't always the case. I feel so fortunate for the relationship we have now.
What would change if we saw our fathers not as they should have been, but as they actually were?
With Understanding, Happy Father’s Day!
