I am thankful for my husband for countless reasons. He is funny. He is kind. He is charming and supportive and everything I could hope for in a partner.

But when I think about him as a father to our daughter I am perhaps most thankful for one thing:

He has never called himself a babysitter.

Forgive me if this seems like a silly thing to appreciate. But I'm endlessly thankful not only for that, but for all it implies. What it means is that I have a true equal in this parenting thing.

If daycare calls and one of us needs to pick up our fever-ridden toddler, he's just as likely to leave work in the middle of the day to rush her to the pediatrician.

If I have an appointment or a social engagement in the evening I simply let him know when I won't be home. There's no asking him if he can "watch the baby". There's no worry that he won't know what to do for her. I simply make sure that he doesn't also have something going on that night and we make it work.

He never makes me feel as though the burden of raising our child rests solely on my shoulders. He knows what to take to school in the morning. He knows what medicine she is taking and the dosage. He does her bath every single night.

He's also quick to correct someone who asks if he's "babysitting" while he's alone with our daughter.

"I'm not babysitting, I'm parenting"

I am thankful to him for being a parent instead of a babysitter. Because the look in our little girl's eyes when she sees him says it all. She. Adores. Him. And trusts him. And knows that he's just as much of a caretaker as I am.

So mommas, I'd encourage you to give your husbands a long leash in this fatherhood thing. They're pretty darn good at it.

Even if they put tights and a hoodie on your child and think that's a perfectly acceptable errand-running outfit.

And happy Father's day to my fabulous husband. Your daughter and I love you endlessly. Just leave me in charge of the baby fashion and this will all work out just fine.