This is for all the fathers.

This is for all the fathers who went to 5 Toys R Us stores on Christmas Eve at midnight to buy the hot toy of the holiday season.

For all the fathers who couldn't sleep and waited by the window for their daughters to come home from their first date.

For all the fathers who had to miss soccer and little league games because of work schedules...and all the fathers who left work early to make it to the games.

For all the fathers who said they would never become what they resented in their own fathers, and did anyway...and for those fathers who were able to stand back and take a look at themselves...and not become like their fathers.

For the fathers of children who took their own lives...and left them wondering if there was something they could have done.

For fathers who waited until all the women were out of the ladies room of a restaurant so they could take their daughters to the bathroom.

For the fathers who tried everything but couldn't get their babies to stop crying for their mom's.

For all the fathers who drove home exhausted after a family day trip...blinded by the oncoming headlights glaring in the dark while the kids were fast asleep in the back seat knowing that daddy will get them home safely.

For the fathers who paced in the visitors room anxiously waiting for the birth of their child while pondering the meaning of life and wondering how they will be able to afford all the things their child will need...and for those who were in the room to witness the miracle of life and didn't have time to think about being a good provider.

For the divorced fathers who only see their kids on weekends...or less.

For homeless fathers dreaming of another time and place...and dreaming of where their next meal will come from...or where their children are.

For fathers who were able to love, understand and be tolerable of the atrocities their kids committed...and didn't hold a grudge.

For the fathers who tried and tried but wouldn't give up on the ring toss game at the town carnival to win their daughter a fuzzy toy...no not that one...the next shelf up...no not that one...the pink one...on the next shelf up. Total cost for 50 cent fuzzy toy: $124.00.

For the fathers who spent night after night sleeping on the outer two inches of a king-size bed because the kids were too scarred to sleep in their own rooms.

For fathers who gave in and bought the puppy that the kids promised they would walk, feed, and take care of...and wound up walking, feeding and...stepping barefoot in a puddle of pee at four in the morning.

For the fathers who struggle every year at the holidays to make it seem like everything is just fine...and for those fathers who couldn't.

For the fathers whose sons went off to war...and didn't come back...and the fathers whose sons returned but were never the same.

For the fathers who swallow their pride every day at the office and allow the boss to speak to them like they are unfeeling servants so they can pay the bills, keep food on the table and clothes on the backs of their children.

For young men who were man enough to be there for the act but not man enough to step up and become a father...and for those who gave up their own childhood to become a man...to become a father.

So this is for all the fathers. Whether your called dad, daddy, pop, or some other term of fatherly endearment...you are the first true hero in your children's eyes...you slay their creatures in the dark when they are young and scared, you understand when they dye their hair green, you stand at the alter when they take their own partner in life. You share your knowledge and your wisdom...and understand it when they ignore you...because they know everything...and you know nothing....just like your father.