Something for the dads

Inspiration struck while watching Desperate Housewives and I couldn't help myself.....

The world is filled with good fathers,
But how do we recognise them?
They're the ones who are stern and hard on the outside,
But inside, they're warm, loving and yes, unmanly soft,
They're the ones who wait anxiously when you're back late,
then threaten to ground you for life for causing your mum to worry,
They're the ones who loved us plenty,
listened for our heartbeat,
even before we ever arrived,
They're the ones who fights adversaries for us,
from monsters under the bed to tattooed thugs,
They're the ones who admonish your brother for teasing you,
then promptly gangs up with him to continue ,
They're the ones who scolds you sternly in front of mum,
then send you a conspiratorial wink when she turns around,
They're the ones who tell you over and over again to learn to be independant,
but call you 3 times a day to find out whether you're O.K,
They're the ones who are busy busy and busy,
yet there seems to be an eternity of time made available for his little ones,
They're the ones God sent to guide us,
guardian angels who light the path for us,
But most af all,
They're the ones who try their utmost to be good fathers,
not knowing that the battle had already been won,
and they were the Victors.