Woman's Tribute To Her Stepdad Reminds Us That Family Is More Than Biological Ties

A stepfather stepped up to show us what fatherhood looks like in 2015.

Posted by Upworthy on Monday, April 6, 2015

It takes a big person to fully embrace the role of stepdad: You have to love, teach and support your partner's kids just as much as their bio-dad would -- all while bracing yourself for those shouts of "you're not my real dad!" come the teen years. (Nope, that doesn't just happen in the movies.)

Unfortunately, good stepfathers rarely get the praise they deserve. In the Upworthy video above, though, a stepdaughter gives props to her a stepdad, a man who walked into her life when she was a little girl and changed it for the better. Today, she simply calls him "dad."

"He just stepped up," she says after reading a sweet letter he wrote her. "He knew I needed a strong father role and he just did it. But at the same time he just wanted to love and treat me as his own."

Watch the clip for more on the family's heartwarming story.

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