Father's Day thoughts

It's always been fun at the farm with my dad.

Father's Day means something different to us all, it can remind us of loss, remind us of love or simply not even matter. But, for myself, Father's Day is a reminder of how lucky I am, lucky to know some amazing dads, lucky to have some amazing dad's as such a big part of my life. I'm even luckier to have not one, or two, but three dads who have shaped me to be the person I am today and today feels like the perfect opportunity to share a little bit of them with you.

The first dad I want to talk about is my little boy's 'Da' who I know I don't talk about all too much on here, but I couldn't talk about Father's Day without saying thank you to him. Thank you for caring for us and putting up with our silliness. He might annoy me by getting easily distracted, watching too much sport on TV and sleeping through anything, but without him I wouldn't have my little boy.

Through the most difficult transition I've had to make in life, that of becoming a mum, he's shown me nothing but support. He's stuck by me when things are tough, he's helped me find a way through when I've felt alone, he's given up so much to make sure I get time out too. Through the sleepless nights, the tears and the disagreements he's always been there for me. Despite spending less time together, less time talking, I know he's working hard for us. Without him I'd not have the greatest gift in life of our son and without him I wouldn't be half the mum I am today.

The next is my dad's dad, my Grampy. A man that loved me, my sister, his grandchildren, so much that he was his very best version of himself for us. A man that shared his soft side and his gentle side with me. A man that despite rarely even making himself a hot drink, would boil milk in a pan to make me a hot chocolate because that's the way my Nan did it.

My Grampy.

He might have told me long stories that not everyone found interesting and read to me about the 100 or more types of potato there are, but he was my hero. He showed me what it was to be strong, he helped me understand what it was to be proud. He might not be here this Father's Day to see or to phone, but I love him just as much today as I did when I last hugged him and I'll always think of him and feel thankful for every moment we spent together.

The last is my own dad, a dad like no other. He was never the sort of dad to take me to the park to play, he was too busy building a park for me and my sister. He was never the dad that drove me to after school clubs and activities, he was too busy creating and running the clubs and activities for my family. He was never the dad that would spend sunny mornings blowing up the paddling pool, he was busy building water slides and making outdoor showers. He has never been just my dad, he's the man with the camera, the man with the duck, the man with the farm that has a rush hour door.

My dad might not have given me the standard childhood, but he's given me memories that I'll always cherish. He's taught me the value of hard work, but also the value of fun. He's taught me to follow my ambitions, no matter how long it takes to get there. Most importantly, he's taught me to enjoy what I do, to find time to laugh and find time for fun.

I might not have made the biggest fuss of these dads across the Father's Days gone by, in fact I'm still pretty clueless about how to make a Father's Day special, but I hope they know how amazing they are. I hope they know how proud I am that they've been part of my life.