Who taught you to ride your bike? Who held your hand as you walked into your very first day of kindergarten? Who cheers you on at every game, recital or competition? Who is always there for you no matter what happens? For many of us, the answer to these questions is our dad.

Dads are a special type of person; they say way too many puns, perform dance moves from only the 80s and comment “I told you so” all too often. There is truly no one like a dad. As we grow older, we don’t need them as much, as we can tie our own shoes and drive ourselves to Dutch Bros whenever we feel like it. Soon, our dads slip into being just another person we come across in our daily routine. We see them in the mornings washing coffee off their tie before work and hear them at night yelling at the TV about a bad sports call, but that’s really it. In the chaos of our everyday lives, we forget to appreciate our dads and all that they do for us.

A perfect event to separate us from our everyday routine and sincerely treasure our dads is Xavier’s Father-Daughter Dance. On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Xavier Dads’ Club held this annual event at the Phoenix Art Museum. This night allowed Xavier students to spend cherished time with their dads while dancing the night away to the disco hits of the theme, Saturday Night Fever. Senior Kennedy Van Norman commented about the dance, “As a senior, this dance was a great way to have fun with my dad before I leave for college. I got to go out to a nice dinner and dance with him, which meant a lot to us both.”

Though this year’s Father-Daughter Dance has passed, there are still various other opportunities to spend quality time with our dads. Regarding Dads’ Club events, there is the Heather Farr Memorial Golf Tournament on March 9 at the Biltmore Golf Club and a Diamondback baseball game in April. Spending time with our dads doesn’t need to be an extravagant affair, as even the simplest activities can show dads our appreciation. For example, going to a movie, watching a Suns game or hiking up Camelback Mountain are easy ways to have fun with our dads.

Whether you’re a senior with just a few more months at home or a freshman with a few years before you attend college, allocating time to spend with our dads and convey our gratitude for all they do is extremely important. The time is now to show our dads how much we care and notice their indelible contributions to our lives.