With Father’s Day around the corner, my heart and my head immediately begin visualizing the way my daughter and I will celebrate for my husband. He’s a damn good dad, that man of mine, and I know our day will be filled with special handmade presents, breakfast in bed, and likely a big family barbeque where I will shower my husband with the love and thanks he deserves, much like many women will be doing for the father they parent with.

But what about the single dad?

In my travels and ponderings as a writer obsessed with parenthood, I have found one thing to be true. Single fathers do not get enough credit. For every article about parenting, you’ll likely find an article about an amazingly impressive single mom, balancing a successful career and raising brilliant children all with a smile on her face. And for every story we hear about fabulous single mothers – we hear less and less about the men who are also faced with the often harsh reality of raising a child on their own.

But trust me, they’re out there.

Recently I had the chance to catch up with a friend, Steven D’Achille, who has devoted his whole life and more to raising his child all on his own. Having tragically lost his wife when his daughter was just five weeks old, Steven was thrust into the world of single parenthood and navigating the difficult road of raising a daughter without his counterpart, her loving mother.

From the outside looking in, it’s not hard to imagine how difficult this journey has been for D’Achille, a young, hard working, and loving father. Raising his now 2-year-old daughter, Adriana, was never something he thought he’d be solely responsible for. “When it first hit me that I’d be taking care of Adriana on my own, I was so scared, “D’Achille admitted. “But now, things are a lot less scary. I have found that not overthinking, worrying, or overcomplicating things was the best way for me to feel like a good dad. Kids are more resilient than you realize.”

And he’s right. Having not only adopted a laid-back, level-headed attitude of parenting solo, D’Achille has also fallen head over heels with the idea of raising a daughter. “I take her for pedicures, we have tea parties, I paint her nails and take her shopping.”

 Why Single Dads Deserve the Most Special Father’s Day continued on the next page...