This one goes out to today’s modern daddies.

Though they be many, the majority still trek on without paternity leave, let alone men’s room diaper changing stations.

Try going at a daddy’s day out solo with that restriction.

Our generation’s papas may not have gone through the arduousness that is labor and delivery, but they’re likely carrying on as deficiently on sleep immediately afterward as mamas are.

And yet, they’re expected to return to work posthaste so that they can bring home that bacon, win that bread, all while bleary-eyedly trying to wing it in the so-called, archaically termed ‘man’s world’.

Just as more mamas are increasingly and fiercely juggling both work and tots, daddies are in on the delicate balancing act, too.

It’s humbling. It’s messy. It’s family. It’s teamwork. And daddies are at the helm of this, learning as they go, as mamas do. And the world needs them.

Despite parenting-related ads that continue to tout mothers as those who know what’s best for the nest – I don’t know about you, but I’ve never once heard the phrase ‘paternal instinct’ – daddies totally need their credit.

The need for solid fathers runs much deeper than simply teaching a kiddo to play catch.

Today’s daddies are more involved in family matters, far removed from that idealized traditional embodiment of the hat-tossing, ‘Honey-I’m-Home’-ing ‘Father-Knows-Best’ of my grandparents’ television generation.

Today’s Super Dad capes can be found in the form of a baby carrier, diaper bag, spit-up laden swaddle cloth on a shoulder.

Or just spit-up on a shoulder. Parents are imperfect. 

But daddies’ continued nurturing presence in their children’s lives is ultimately the badge of honor which earns them that holiday in which they’re bestowed with neck ties and golf tees.

Dads shape more than we think they do.

Beyond fun and games, good father-figures become the model for the men we want our boys to become; the standard for the way our girls will demand to be treated.

And to their mama counterparts, daddies offer a second set of eyes and hands in ways we mums perhaps didn’t expect.

Before kiddos, my husband was my second set of eyes; whether to help me cook, or by lending a hand to lift something too heavy for my weak-wristed arms to handle; he was a real wing man like that.

But from the moment I entered into the strange and wondrous Motherhood-land, my husband’s teammate-ness proved even more vital, more resourceful than I could have imagined.

When I was in labor for the first time, he took my hands in his and quietly distracted me with funny memories and stories to help keep my mind somewhat off the pain.

Since then he’s been my second set of hands to expedite washing extra pump parts as back up, grab an extra wipe during a baby blow-out showdown, toss a burp cloth from across the room at a millisecond’s notice, prep dinner when I’d puree carrots for a baby food feast, baby proof, volunteer at school field trips, to set up just about every baby gadget that needs assembly – because they all do, and they all have way too many parts and require too many batteries.

Daddies do great voices when reading bedtime stories, they make fantastic car seat installers.

Parents are all made up of imperfections and wins in families of all shapes and sizes.

Ultimately we just do the best we can for our mini-tribes.

And the daddies who are present in our lives make up some of the strongest-woven fabric of our families.

They serve as our protectors, and their influence is strong.

So Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and father-figures.

You may not get diaper changing stations in your public restrooms, but you truly deserve the best recognition and appreciation there is to give today and every day.

The decisions you make to give your children a well-rounded life, shown by how you model discipline, provide emotional wellbeing, and teach life skills will be your legacy.

And that, my friend, will outlast just about any collection of neckties.

Cheers to Dads!

—Michelle Cote is creative director of the Journal Tribune and a nationally-syndicated columnist. She enjoys singing ‘Moana’ soundtrack tunes at the top of her lungs while cruising in her minivan with her husband, two boys and a dog. Contact her at TheRookieMama@yahoo.com.