Happy Father's Day To 'HIMYM's Ted Mosby

Another day is here, and with it comes another opportunity for me to get tangential about my favorite show of all time. I'm speaking of course about the beloved sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. Duh. For nine seasons, this iconic series taught us many things, from the beauty of the "almighty high-five" to the best ways to navigate our way through the trials of adulthood. Threading each episode together was Ted Mosby's unremitting quest to find true love and the mother of his children, along with the various barriers he had to overcome in order to see his lifelong dreams come to fruition. Obviously we knew from the start that Ted ended up as a father of two, as the show opened with Future Ted (voiced by "legendary" TV dad, Bob Saget) telling his teenage son and daughter the story of how he met their mother. Even though the Ted we had the pleasure of watching throughout the majority of the series was childless, it was clear from episode one that he had all the makings of a great dad. He was a great friend, storyteller, and the epitome of optimism even during the most dire of circumstances.

In celebration of HIMYM and Ted Mosby, let's take a look at seven ways Ted proved himself to be the best TV dad we could ask for.

He's A Great Friend

Although you don't want your dad to always treat you like a buddy (that can get super embarrassing), it's nice to have a dad you can confide in, as well as one who is well-versed in what true friendship looks like.

He Offers The Best Surrogate Aunts & Uncles Anyone Could Ask For

When Future Ted talks to his children about his friends, he always refers to them as Aunt Robin, Uncle Barney, Aunt Lilly, and Uncle Marshall. Can you imagine growing up with these cool cats as your surrogate aunts and uncles? It would be legen — wait for it — dary! Legendary!

He Gives Good Advice

It may be a little long-winded at times, but Ted's advice is always on point.

He's An Awesome Storyteller

Again, he may be a bit tangential (those kids listened to nine seasons of stories before actually learning about how Ted met their mother), but his stories are enthralling enough to make me — and HIMYM fans across the globe — continue to re-watch the entire series via Netflix.

He Was A Dad Even Before He Had Kids

In one of the earlier seasons, the gang referenced how Ted acted like a dad even though he had yet to actually become one. Ted's journey was also marked by his desire to meet the woman of his dreams and have children. Watching his dreams finally come to fruition made us feel all the best feels imaginable. Squee!

He's An Eternal Optimist

OK, he definitely had his moments of self-proclaimed defeat. But it never took long for Ted to recuperate from a slew of heartbreaks (remember when he got left at the altar? Yikes...) and continue his quest for true love. It's easy to become jaded in the dating world, and having a dad like Ted to bestow some optimism on you is sure to help you deal with the ebbs and flows of romance.

That Whole Asking Permission To Date Aunt Robin Thing

OK, I know that many of us had mixed feelings about the HIMYM finale. I mean, we waited nine seasons to meet the mother of Ted's children, and then she gets killed off and it turns that the whole point of Future Ted telling this elaborate series of stories was to get their permission to ask out Robin? What?! Still, even Ted's children noted that it has been "six years" since Tracy Mosby had passed and Ted had every right to move on to the other love in his life. When you think about it, the fact that Ted wanted to make sure his children were going to be OK with him rekindling a romance with Robin was actually quite touching — and makes him a pretty great dad.

Images: CBS (1); Giphy (7)