Fathers play a very special role in our lives. They are our protector when we are young, and our support and guide as we grow older.

Dads are known for giving advice, setting rules and making sure we follow them. We learn how to interact with others when we are with our dads in a store or at the park.

Fathers are also traditionally seen as the main breadwinner in the family. For many dads, their self-esteem and sense of who they are is tied to having a job and being able to provide for their family.

Dads are often more physical than moms. When kids are little, a fun tousle with dad is looked forward to after dinner when everyone is relaxing in the living room after a day of work and school.

We often associate sharing time with our fathers while learning about their hobbies.

My children have wonderful memories of going fishing with their father. When they were very young, he would take them to a stream near our home. The kids would stand on the bridge and dangle their line into the water, hopeful that they would feel a tug and catch something.

My husband also shared his passion for soccer with our children. From a young age, our kids were signed up for recreational soccer and their dad coached their teams.

In my own experience, my father shared his expertise as a violinist with us. I have many wonderful memories of my father playing his violin while my aunt skillfully accompanied him on the piano.

When he played square dance music, my mom would organize us into pairs and teach us square dances.

To this day I am a great fan of fiddle music and can’t help but tap my toes when I hear it. I am always taken back to my childhood, my dad cradling his violin under his chin, and his foot tapping out the beat of the music as his bow danced across the strings.

We also went with Dad to get the Christmas tree. We would trek across the fields and choose the tree for that year.

I would always suggest trees that were way too big, and Dad would explain how much larger they would look in the house.

My dad loved ice cream and in the summer, on particularly hot days, he would take my brothers and sisters and me into town to a restaurant.

We would all have ice cream treats. Dad was a big fan of banana splits while the rest of us had a cone or an ice cream sundae.

My dad was a very hard worker. We had a dairy farm and the cows had to be milked twice a day, come rain or shine.

I can remember going with Dad to get the cows to bring them in for milking. We would stand at the gate and dad would call them, “Coboss, coboss, coboss!

Our dog, Lucky, would round up the cows, and when Dad gave me the nod, I would open the gate to let them out of the field.

Whenever I pass a dairy farm, I feel a warmth inside me, recalling those lovely childhood memories of times with my dad.

What are your memories of your dad? As you reflect on times you spent together and the special role your father played in your life, you can delight in coloring the fifty pages of our “Father’s Day Coloring Book”.