It's rained all day, and we head outside as a family to walk the dog. Shep has on no shoes, and my heart skips a beat - "Clint he needs shoes on, it's muddy outside."

"Julie, he's a boy, it's fine."

Shep proceeds to waddle and jump into a big, muddy puddle. Cooper (our dog) joins him and puts his big hairy paw in the puddle too. Shep starts giggling and now splashes the water with his hands and looks at Cooper with a big smile. Two hilarious, muddy buddies having a good time on a rainy day.

Those shoes, and momma, almost ruined that fun.

In our family, Clint knows how to have fun and not take life too seriously. He knows how to make Shep giggle uncontrollably, even in the face of a pending temper tantrum. He can put him on his shoulders and put him over his head, and there he goes, that big belly laugh that lights up the whole house.

Thank God for silly, funny dads.

I think it's time to admit, dads are better at some things than we are. While I'd love to believe I can do it all, it's just not true. I need my husband as my parenting partner, the person who balances my strict scheduling and milestone tracking and can bring laughter to the tough parenting times.

And it's not just my anecdotal reasons for why dads make such an important impact on our kiddos. In fact, numerous studies have shown that kids who have dads who are involved in their lives do better in school, have better language development, and fewer behavioral problems.

My friends agreed and said they were super thankful for what their husbands bring to their parenting equation. When I asked them, what do you think dads do better than moms, here's what they told me:

"Oh, without a doubt, my husband is a better bath giver than me. He can make all of the fun sounds for the bath toys, doesn't get soap in the baby's eyes and plays music for them to jam out to as they unwind. By the time bath time rolls around, I'm usually ready to turn in my Mommy Card so his bath time skills are much appreciated around here!" - Stephanie @ Olive & Tate

"I think dads are better at things involving physical strength: piggy back rides, being swung around by the arms in circles, being throw high in the air in the pool, being pushed on a swing." Jennifer @ Champagne Supernova

"So with JeanAnn's (9 months) development I always try to focus on pronouncing words, learning to associate and building her strength. I want to ensure she is learning new things and on track. I came home from work one day and one of the first things my husband taught her was to put her fingers between her lips and make a noise while flicking her mouth. It was straight out of a cartoon and now she does it all the time. Forget fundamentals because this little trick ended up being one of the funniest things I have ever seen a baby do. So I enjoy him teaching her things that will grow her personality." - Carlee @ Crown & Ginger

"It's the way that he balances working at home and watching her, whereas I work outside of the house and get “adult time” away. Although we now have a part time nanny that comes 3 days a week to watch Gemma so he can get solid working hours, the other two days he is full-time Daddy and has to do meals, errands, mitigate crankiness and fits, and also occupy her happy waking hours with playtime. I think because he spends so much time with her during the week when I’m at work, one thing that he does a bit better than me is staying patient and pushing through his tiredness when Gemma is acting up – he’s also able to multitask with her better than I can. He’s naturally a more patient person than I am, and his threshold for feeling overwhelmed is higher, but I definitely think that it carries over into fatherhood and I’m so thankful for that! - Alexa

LISTENING TO OTHER STORIES, I WANTED TO SHARE 10 MORE THINGS DADS CAN DO BETTER THAN US MOMS:

• Ignoring Screams: Baby is in the playback for just five minutes while you put away a loud of laundry - hating every second. Husband says, he's fine and proceeds with eating his dinner. You proceed and have internal meltdown.
• Staying Up Late: Forget bedtime. They're busy playing with the grill and Fischer Price golf set.
• Laughing at bodily functions: Little toots (or big ones) that escape your baby's bottom couldn't be more hilarious. I've heard these keep getting funnier as the child gets older, and the dad joins in too.
• Playing rough: Baby tickles by dad turn into full-on tickle wars the older and more stable your baby gets. Sooner or later, it's wrestling in your living room and you end up just tossing your coffee table because there's no use for it anymore.
• Upping energy levels: Who cares if it's right before bedtime? It's the perfect time to get kiddos hyped up with dad leading a round of tag through the house at 8 pm.
• Skipping Veggies: Am I the only one who's noticed a similarity in my husband's eating patterns and my child's? Both go straight for the macaroni and leave green beans on their plates. Like father, like son, right?
• Being Proud of Scrapes. A scratch or bruise is nothing to worry about, it's a badge of pride.
• Shoulder Rides: Dad has got about a foot and a half over mom, so shoulder rides are just a lot more fun than they are with mom. Plus dad let's you touch stuff like fans and lights when you're up there.
• Getting Messy. Spaghetti, tacos and pizza are all safe bets when it comes to dad. The messier, the better.
• Enjoying Date Night. Reservations are set, babysitter is on her way. He's so much better at enjoying the night and making it all about you and him. We could learn a thing or two.

This Father's Day, I'm so thankful that Clint is by my side, making our boy smile and helping him be the little adventurer that he is. Happy Father's Day to all the other dads out there too!

Now it's your turn. What does your husband do better than you? What are you thankful for that he does with your little ones that they just love?