Daughters And Dads A PLACE WHERE REAL-LIFE HEROES RULE

He may not wear a cape, but to these daughters, their dad definitely saved the day!

My dad made me finish high school because he didn’t

“By the time I was in the final years of high school I was basically over it. I just wasn’t doing anything and didn’t care if I graduated or not.

“But then I moved in with my dad and he decided I was going to finish, and that was it. It was only seven months until graduation and I had done nothing, but he knew that I would need to in order to be successful, and he wouldn’t let me fail. He signed me up for an online school and pushed me to do it. He woke me up every morning and set a schedule where I did nothing but school for six hours a day, seven days a week. He checked all my homework and monitored my grades. He was pretty annoying, honestly, but I knew it was for the best. And hey, it worked.

“I got it all done and graduated with my class last year. I know he’s so proud of me and I’m proud of me, too. Now I am applying to catering schools to follow my dream of being a chef, and I know with the ‘get it done’ attitude I learnt from him, I can do anything.” CHASE CUBELO

My dad was my invisible guardian angel

“My parents divorced when I was just four years old, and from that point on I rarely saw my dad. Both my parents remarried other people and I grew up thinking that he didn’t care much about me – that is until I got married. It was then that my stepmother told me that my mother had warned him to stay away from us kids, blocking him from seeing us.

“But he loved us so much that every morning he would drive and park across from the school crossing near our primary school. It was a very busy road and he never went to work until he made sure we all made it safely across and into school. He did this every day until we all finished

“You gotta love dads. At my wedding, when I tripped on my wedding dress and fell flat on my face, Dad said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll do better next time.’” MELANIE WHITE

primary school. None of us kids ever saw him at the time, but after my stepmother shared the story with us, I was so touched.

My dad was far from perfect but I love that he watched over me and was with me, even when I didn’t know he was there.” ANN HETZEL

He stepped in as a surrogate father when my daughter needed one the most

“I’m a single mum and I’ve often worried that my daughter Cynthia is missing out, but my dad stepped in to be a father figure for her, making sure she had whatever she needed – right up until the day he died.

“I still come to tears remembering all the activities he’d do with her and the trips he’d take her on. Her favourite was when he taught her how to fish; those trips meant so much to her. It may seem like a small thing but being the ‘dad’ she never had and exposing her to new experiences changed her life.

“His dedication, love, and compassion for not just me but my children makes him a true hero in my eyes. I still miss him every day.” JOCI SMITH

“If you ever want to torture my dad, tie him up and right in front of him, refold a map incorrectly.” CATHY LADMAN “Sorry, Dad, but sometimes your jokes just really aren’t all that funny... but we love you anyway.” AMY SZARKOWS

He rescued me from the high school mean girls

“During high school, I went to a sleepover party with my friends f rom my dance class – at least I thought they were my friends.

“After they thought I was asleep, they started saying the meanest things about me. I pretended I didn’t hear them but I was absolutely crushed. The next day, between sobs, I told my parents everything they said and that I didn’t want to go back to school where I’d have to see them.

“Obviously, I couldn’t drop out of school but my dad took my hurt feelings very seriously and dropped everything to whisk me off to our farm. We spent several days together, just the two of us. I felt so loved. Not only did he get me away from those girls for a bit but he showed me that friends come and go but family is forever. I (mostly) forgot that awful time but I’ll never forget how much my dad loves me.” EMILY GARRISON

He helped me put my life back together after our home burnt down

“Several years ago, I lost my house in a fire and with it, everything we owned. It was devastating. My dad came out to help as soon as he heard.

“He arrived before I knew how much our insurance company was going to cover so I wasn’t spending money on anything but absolute necessities. I remember we were out shopping and he could see I had picked up and then reluctantly put back down a pair of running shoes. Running is my passion but I knew it wasn’t strictly ‘necessary.’

“But before I knew it, my dad had bought the shoes for me along with any other gear I needed to get back out running. It was something so small but he knew that it really was necessary for my survival. I realised how well my dad really knows me and cares about me.” MARY SMITH

“It was my father who taught me to value myself. He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful and that I was the most precious thing in his life.” DAWN FRENCH, ACTRESS

He may not have been my biological father but he was the best dad I could have asked for

“When I was three years old my father died, leaving my mother, who was 25, to raise us four kids – all under nine years old – by herself. It was so hard on her, she had to do both jobs, working to support us but also making sure we were taken care of at home.

“Nearly a year later Mum met a man by the name of Max Powell. He not only married my mother but us kids as well. He loved us as his own and made sure we always had everything we needed. He gave up a lot to marry my mother knowing that he would never be able to father children of his own.

“Until the day he died, Mum, us kids, and our families were the most important things in his life. I’ll always see him as my dad and my hero.” CORAL PRICKETT

He saved me from drowning

“When I was young, one of my favourite activities was to tube down a local river. The best (and scariest) part was the cement chute that would spit us out at the end.

“One day I decided to go down the river by myself; I’d done it many times and wasn’t worried. But this t ime was dif ferent. The current sucked me under the water, pinning me under the bottom of the cement slide. All I remember was feeling so helpless and trapped, and then a giant hand reached down, grabbed me by the hair and yanked me out of the water. To this day I don’t know how he knew I was there.

“At the time I didn’t realise the seriousness of my situation and was just really angry that he’d pulled my hair so hard. But as an adult, and now a mother, I realise he saved my life. He’ll always be my hero!” MICHELLE STILLEY

“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, storytellers and singers of song.” PAM BROWN

He never made me feel dumb for making mistakes

“When I was a teenager and still a new driver, I decided to get my car washed. I pulled up to the car wash, put my car in park and proceeded to get out to go and get car-wash tokens while my car was still running. Not thinking, I shut the door and walked away to get the coins.

“I walked back and after a few seconds of pure horror, I realised I’d locked my keys in the car. The first thing that popped into my head was to call my dad; I knew he would help me. I went to use a pay phone but didn’t have any change because, duh, it was all in the car. So I called him reverse charges. Not only did he accept the expensive call but he did it without hesitation and was there in 15 minutes with my spare key.

“And he didn’t even tease me about locking the keys in my car. My dad died recently of kidney cancer, and it’s memories like this that make me realise he was my hero not just that day, but every day in so many little ways.” KATIE HUFFMAN

“I gave my father $100 and said, ‘Buy yourself something that will make your life easier.’ So he went out and bought a present for my mother.” RITA RUDNER, HUMORIST