To all dads, those who coach and those who do not. To those who volunteer and those who can’t. Your kids, coaches and wives want to say THANK YOU for the part you play in youth sports:

Thank you for taking off work early to get your kids to practice and attend their games.

Thank you for volunteering to drive to games and tournaments on the weekends, when you’d much rather be relaxing at home or getting house chores done.

Thank you for supporting your kids through thick and thin, through good seasons and not-so-good seasons, through victories and through slumps.

Thank you for playing catch, hitting balls, throwing passes, shooting baskets and hitting tennis balls with your kids and for doing it just to have fun, without acting like a coach.

Thank you for coaching your child’s team, even when you feel like you aren’t “qualified.”

Thank you for cheering your kids from the sidelines with a positive voice and letting the coaches do their job.

Thank you for challenging your child to be better without pushing them so hard that they get tired of it all and just want to quit.

Thank you for being patient with coaches who may know less than you do about the sport your child is playing.

Thank you for believing in your athletes, and for finding consistent ways to say that.

Thank you for serving on committees, cooking hamburgers at the concessions stand, cleaning up the snack bar, manning the time clock and holding the sideline chains.

Dads, your kids need your unconditional love and support as they try new things in sports and as they challenge themselves. Your voice will be one of the loudest they hear, no matter if you are yelling or whispering.

Thank you, Dads, for all you do, to make youth sports a positive and growing place for kids to flourish and grow into tomorrow’s leaders. Give them an example that they will want to pass on to their kids.

Happy Father’s Day!

Janis Meredith is a family life coach who wants to help all parents raise champions. You can find out more at rcfamilies.com.