Father’s Day Feature: What Makes a Dad the Best Ever?

The question seems simple enough: What makes a dad the best ever?

Ask a child, and you’ll hear answers like “He gives me snacks,” or “He fixes my bike,” or, most adorably, “He makes the monsters go away.” But dig a little deeper—talk to grown children, single fathers, adoptive dads, or sons who have become fathers themselves—and you uncover a mosaic of stories stitched together by something far deeper: presence, sacrifice, vulnerability, and yes, unconditional love.

This Father’s Day, we set out to explore the essence of fatherhood—not through statistics or textbooks—but by collecting real voices from different corners of the world. What we found was moving, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, and always powerful.

1. The Invisible Work of Love – Jacob, 36, USA

“I used to think my dad didn’t love me because he never said it,” Jacob tells us. “No hugs. No ‘I’m proud of you.’ But when I was seventeen and crashed my car, the first thing he said after seeing I was okay was, ‘We’ll figure this out.’ No blame. Just calm.”

It wasn’t until Jacob became a father himself that he understood the language of silent care.

“There are dads who don’t say much, but they do everything. Fix the heater at 2 a.m., work overtime so your shoes fit. That’s love too—it just wears work boots instead of roses.”

2. The Dad Who Chose Me – Priya, 27, India

“My biological father left when I was three,” says Priya. “I used to hate Father’s Day.”

That changed when her mother remarried a quiet bookstore owner named Rajeev. “He didn’t try to ‘replace’ anyone. He just showed up, every day. From teaching me how to ride a bike to helping me through college applications—he was there.”

One Father’s Day, Priya handed him a handmade card that read, ‘Anyone can be a father, but it takes love to be a dad.’ He cried.

“That was the first time I saw him tear up. He said, ‘Thank you for letting me be yours.’”

3. Lessons from the Other Side – Dima, 41, Ukraine

Dima lost his father in a mining accident when he was ten. But his lessons live on.

“I remember once, I came home with torn pants. He didn’t scold me. He said, ‘If your knees are dirty, it means you tried something new. That’s good.’”

Now a father of two, Dima repeats that same line when his kids come home with scraped elbows or broken shoelaces.

“Fathers don’t have to be superheroes,” he says. “They just have to help you become one.”

4. The Funny One – Michelle, 30, Canada

“He’s the guy who dances with the vacuum and sings off-key to wake us up. He’s the dad who told my prom date, ‘She comes back with all body parts intact, or you don’t get yours back.’”

Michelle says her dad’s humor was his superpower, especially when their family went through hard times.

“When Mom got sick, Dad kept us laughing. That laughter—it didn’t erase the pain, but it gave us oxygen to keep going.”

Now, Michelle uses humor as a teacher in her classroom. “Every time a student smiles through a tough day, I think, ‘Thanks, Dad.’”

5. The Quiet Warrior – Farid, 52, Morocco

Farid works as a night guard at a textile mill. His hands are calloused, his eyes tired—but when he talks about his children, his voice softens.

“My father beat me. That was normal, back then. I promised myself I would be different.”

And he was. Farid never raised his voice, even when his son dropped out of school for a year. “Instead, I gave him space. And when he came back and said, ‘I want to try again,’ I helped him.”

That son is now an engineer in Casablanca. “I didn’t make millions,” Farid shrugs, “but I made a man who believes in second chances. That’s enough.”

6. The Modern Dad – Jason, 29, Australia

“Diaper duty? I’m a pro,” Jason laughs. “My wife and I split everything. She’s the better cook. I’m the bedtime storyteller.”

Jason pushes back on old-school notions of masculinity. “Some people still raise an eyebrow when I say I’m a stay-at-home dad. But my daughter doesn’t care. She just knows I’m the one who puts stars on her ceiling.”

He believes the modern dad isn’t less masculine—it’s more evolved. “Strength isn’t just muscle. It’s showing up. It’s letting your kid paint your toenails. It’s being proud of that.”

7. The Long-Distance Bond – Ayana, 18, Nigeria

“My dad works in Dubai. He sends money home, but we only see him once a year. I used to think he didn’t care about birthdays or school awards. But then I found a box under my mom’s bed. It had every photo I’d ever sent him. Every report card. He even kept my first crayon drawing.”

Ayana says when she saw that, she cried for hours.

“He was never absent. Just present in ways I couldn’t see.”

8. Fatherhood After Loss – Carlos, 38, Brazil

Carlos lost his wife during childbirth. For the first year, he says he was drowning. “I didn’t know how to raise a daughter alone.”

But with time—and therapy—Carlos found his rhythm. “We have tea parties on Sundays. She calls me ‘Papai’ and tells me I make better pancakes than any cartoon dad on TV.”

He says fatherhood saved him. “When I wanted to give up, her laugh brought me back. She’s not just my daughter. She’s my anchor.”

9. Wisdom from the Elders – Grandfather Stories

We asked several people about the best advice their father—or grandfather—ever gave them. Here’s a selection of those unforgettable nuggets:

“Don’t be the loudest in the room. Be the one they listen to when it’s quiet.”

“Apologize when you’re wrong. Especially to your kids. It teaches them strength, not weakness.”

“You’re not raising a child. You’re raising someone else’s parent, partner, or leader.”

“Always keep candy in your pocket. Grandkids know where to find love.”

So, What Does Make a Dad the Best Ever?

The answer isn’t money, or titles, or perfect choices. The best dads—biological or chosen, loud or quiet, close or far—share something profound: consistency, care, and the courage to evolve.

They teach without preaching. They love without conditions. They carry burdens so their children can fly.

This Father’s Day, maybe the best gift we can give is acknowledgment. A phone call. A story. A shared memory.

Because what makes a dad the best ever isn’t one big moment. It’s a thousand little ones that often go unnoticed.

Until now.