When you were a little kid, did you ever hear a loud, unusual noise and become afraid of the source? Your imagination automatically runs wild, and you wonder, is it a monster? What could it be?

Who is the person you call on to protect you from your imaginary scary monster?

In some cases, one would answer “my father.”

Father’s Day is a day to recognize the unique qualities of your father that make him honorable in your eyes. Or, in other cases, your father isn’t necessarily your biggest role model. Father’s Day can be in honor of whoever you view as your “father figure,” the one you look up to.

Generally, your father is your protector, your guidance, your reassurance, your provider, your teacher. He can give you tough love in an incident to help you grow stronger. He’ll make you feel safe and secure with his unconditional love for you.

Before Father’s Day, there was Mother’s Day. Based on information from History.com, Mother’s Day originated during the Civil War, when activist Ann Reeves Jarvis brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers to celebrate “Mother’s Work Days”. It wasn’t until decades later that Mother’s Day was an official holiday.

Father’s Day comes from a campaign brought on after people started feeling like fathers deserved the same recognition as mothers. Services dedicated to fathers began in 1908. Following, a widower from Washington named Sonora Smart Dodd began insisting on a day especially for fathers in America. She spread her idea to churches, shops, government officials—and her hardwork paid off on June 19^th, 1910 when Washington celebrated America’s first Father’s Day.

Every year following, Father’s Day has been held on the third Sunday of June. All over the country, people buy gifts for and dine with their fathers to say Thank You for all their hard work and dedication to the family.