At what point does a father quit trying to take care of his children? Once they’re adults and have moved out of his house? Once they have children of their own? Once those children stop visiting on Sunday evenings?

For some fathers, that desire to nurture and protect never leaves, even when their children are in their mid-30s with children of their own. My father is one of those men. I hope I will be, too.

This thought occurred to me during a short conversation we had about hauling my boat to the mechanic for a tune-up. My father offered to drive two hours with his half-ton, farm truck because he feared our SUV couldn’t haul the monstrosity that is our boat (it’s a 22-foot beast that weighs as much as a house).

He was worried his son would destroy something or get hurt. Granted, I have given him plenty of reasons to believe I would in fact destroy something. My childhood and teenage years were littered with broken things — toys, bikes, ATVs, trucks, etc.

I told him not to worry, that our SUV could tow the boat just fine. But I could still hear a little doubt in his voice. Maybe he still sees his only son as a helpless child or a reckless teenager. Maybe his memories of smashed trucks and broken toys still linger enough to give him pause. I like to think it’s simply because he still cares, but maybe he thinks I’m still an idiot.

Again, there’s plenty of evidence to back up that theory.

Looking back, there have been countless times my father has offered to fix something, or haul something or build something. He never said he was too busy and never complained. There were things he got wrong as a dad, but being willing to help wasn’t one of them. Being available wasn’t either. He was always there.

When I was young, he got off work not long after my sister and I got home from school. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but I now realize he went in to work early enough to put in 8 or 9 hours by 3:30 in the afternoon. Maybe he just liked working early, or maybe he sacrificed to spend time with us.

I wish I could always say the same thing when it comes to my own children. There have been plenty of times I’ve been too busy to help with the little things — learning to throw a curveball, reading a book, wrestling. I’m sure there are countless big things I’ve missed as well.

I wonder what their memories of me will be when they look back as adults. Will they remember that I worked hard to put food on the table? Probably not. Will they remember that I sacrificed so they could have nice things? No. Will they care that I published a newspaper? Of course not.

They will remember whether or not I spent time with them, whether or not I was there for them and whether or not they felt loved. On this Father’s Day, I’ll take time to thank my dad for always being there, and commit to doing the same for my children.

Luke Horton is the publisher of The Daily Leader.