For every mom there is a dad, and while they can make us crazy sometimes, there are so many things that moms love about dads.

Moms love the way a dad looks with a new baby nestled in his strong arms. The soft, little ball of blue or pink is a stark contrast to the hairy, muscled skin they lay against, but still the baby sleeps on, cradled safely in the arms of their father.

Moms love the way a dad plays with his toddler. Her face glows as she listens to the squeals of delight coming from her little one as they are being tickled, tagged, or held captive by large, hugging arms. She can’t help but smile as she overhears the revving car sounds, the pretend airplanes, or even the silly songs that a dad creates to keep his child happy.

Moms love the way a dad comforts his terrified child in the middle of the night. She admires the way he faithfully searches the house for non-existent monsters at the request of his unreasonable little one, and then, she holds back a tear when she later walks into the child’s room to see him lying uncomfortably asleep on the floor beside a small bed.

Moms love the way a dad reads to his children. She loves listening to his deep comforting voice as it takes his kids on a journey to distant lands, through the fire of dragons, and safely back home again. She holds back happy giggles as she listens to him narrate in funny voices to the sheer delight of his entranced audience.

Moms love dads who listen to a seemingly endless story about what happened to his daughter that day at recess. They love the way he exclaims over her latest work of crayon art and tolerates her painful start on the violin.

Moms love the way a dad can’t hold still on the sidelines as he watches his child attempt to take a ball to the goal. She loves when, after finding some way to master his intense frustration, he gently coaches his little one on to greater success.

Moms love when a dad hugs his tear stained daughter as she cries out her broken heart. They love his righteous anger as protectiveness flares and he silently fumes over any injustice to one so precious to him.

Moms love a dad’s greased stained hands as he comes in from teaching his son how to fix a car or repair a bike. She loves how the entire family dons the same color on game day as they gather around dad to cheer on their team.

Moms love the way a dad can make anything more fun, more adventurous, and more exciting. They love that dads can be a child’s best friend and biggest hero. They love when dads are there through the thick and thin, fighting to put their children and family first, above all of the other demands on their time.

Moms love dads for trying. They love dads for caring. They love dads for listening to and being patient with moms, but most of all, moms love dads for giving them the greatest gift in the world, the gift of their beautiful children.

*This post was first published on PlanningPlaytime.com. You can also find Amy on Facebook and Twitter.