What does it mean to be a dad?

What does it mean to be a dad? It is a question I have always asked myself, and this past week it has been a question that has been even more in my mind because certain events have spiked that thought in my head.
When I was little I thought a dad was someone that will always be there to protect and defend you, basically a dad was a hero, he would come in and make sure that you were always safe no matter what happened.
As I grew older and then moved in with my real father, I started to think that a dad was a friend and one that could never be wrong, therefore taking his advise was a very wise decision.
Then as I kept growing and seeing the true image of my father, I really started to think that everything I had thought a dad was supposed to be was completely wrong, that a dad does not really protect but that harms in order to teach you to protect yourself, that they impose what they think is best for you without you having any say in it. I thought that a dad was someone that provided things for you like food, clothes, a place to live and then that was all there really was behind that figure in our lives.
Now as an adult and having a child of my own and after having a failed marriage where the supposed father decided to not be in my child's life, I had to become both mom and dad for her and with that I started to think more and more as to what a dad really is.
A dad is someone who is there for his children, no matter what they do, he is always there giving them advice on life but never imposing on them to take such advice because he is someone that guides and guiding someone to the correct path means that they will get to choose what the correct path is.
A dad is not someone who necessarily has to give food, clothing and shelter to a child, those are things that every responsible parent has to do, but those are not the important things in life, a dad is someone who gives his time to his children, time to play, time to get messy, time to laugh and just simply have fun.
A dad is someone who protects, a dad always wants what is best for his children, he is someone that will fight for them 'til the very end because to them his children are all worth the fight. To a real dad his children are the biggest blessing in the world and he thanks the universe each and every single day of his life for that blessing, because it was not until he became a dad that he actually knew what it meant to be a real man.
Most important of all is that a real dad does not have to share DNA with his children, a real dad is not someone whose sperm helped create the child, a real dad is someone who helps shape that child, someone who above all else has only the best interest for that child, someone who puts the time and effort to learn to know that child because is only then when they also get to know themselves.
A real dad is someone who is always thinking they can do better for their children, they are always striving to be a better role model, a better friend, better husband, better parent, better human being, only because they know that children learn by example and what bigger example is there than being a dad.
But most important about what a real dad is, is that they know their job is never done, it is never over, a dad knows that. A real dad knows that he does not stop being a dad when a child reaches a certain age, a real dad knows that he does  not stop being a dad when his children are all grown and having their own lives, a real dad knows that he has to always be available because his children will always need him at one point or another, they know that their job is a 24/7 job and they never regret it.