Tribune Editorial Staff

Attention Fathers, after 364 days of not always having your way, of not always being heard or appreciated, today is your day. And it's a well-deserved respite from the normal hum-drum of life.

All too often we take fathers for granted. We should know better.

Fatherhood is a unique thing.

From the moment the nurse puts the tiny child in your hands, something changes. No longer are you an independent, lone wolf. Suddenly, you are a father, a bigger-than-life creature.

Responsibilities seem to jump onto your back from every direction. "How in the world will I be able to do this," you think to yourself.

Perhaps you seek advice from your own father, if he's still living.

Perhaps you simply venture into this newfound landscape of Daddydom on your own.

Either way, somehow you trudge through. Through time comes a little more confidence -- and perhaps a few gray hairs.

From the moment when your child first looks at you and says "Da Da" to the minute you sit in the pew at their wedding and watch them seem to grow up before your eyes, fatherhood is filled with amazing life moments.

Such moments make all of the headaches and heartaches worth it in the end.

Through the lessons they teach, fathers are passing down their wisdom to the future generation. It is a rite of passage as old as mankind, but nevertheless among the most important things we as humans perform.

Today, as you go through the day, say "thanks" to each and every father you see. We bet they will appreciate the attention and the gratitude. And, when Monday comes, pay close attention to the fathers in your life and try to remember to say "thanks" to them again -- and sooner than next year's holiday.