Growing up, we watch every move our parents make, hoping to one day be able to do the same things. We dress up in their clothes. try to walk in their shoes, say the same words they use, play house, and pretend we are just like them. But watching our parents, we realize just how different our moms and dads are and what different lessons each one of them has taught us throughout our lives. My parents also divorced when I was young, so I'm one of the lucky ones that has two dads who are completely different, therefore teaching me very similar and very different lessons throughout my childhood and now into adulthood.

1. No matter what the job is, ALWAYS work hard

Both of my dads have wives and kids who they love and need to take care of at home. Both of my dads leave early in the morning before anyone else has even woken up in order to get to their jobs, one at an office and one at various different job sites. But despite whatever job they have worked at in the past or are currently working at, they taught us the value of hard work. Even if you dislike the job, you need to continue to work hard to make a good life for you and your family.

2. Never give up

There have been days when I know both of them would have rather gone home and drowned their sorrows instead of pushing forward. They have faced days that simply just feel too hard, but instead of giving up, they kept going. They wanted to instill in my siblings and I that it is important to never give up, whether it be a hard day or a goal you've set, never lose sight of what you want.

3. You can do anything you set your mind to

As the oldest of all of my siblings, I was the "practice child". I was given the most responsibilities along with the high expectations. And although this was often difficult growing up, I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to no matter the stakes. Whether we were learning to shoot a gun or driving a tractor and someone said "well you're a girl, you can't do that," my dads would laugh and respond with, "wanna bet? Go show 'em."

4. "Rub some dirt on it"

I've written an article on this topic before because the phrase simply never made sense to me and as I got older, I realized just how ridiculous it sounded. My biological father always said the phrase, "rub some dirt on it, dirt don't hurt" whenever we fell down or were hurt playing around. This doesn't make sense because of course, it hurts when you rub dirt on it, you're literally causing an infection in your body. But what our dad was teaching us that although sometimes your way of dealing with a problem may cause an "infection" or more pain, in the end, the pain only lasts so long before it will get better. He taught me that pain is temporary.

5. My voice and ideas matter

My dads taught me that no matter what we do in life, there are always going to be people who want to shut down our ideas or tell us that what we have to say doesn't matter. But that we need to remember that what we have to say and what ideas we have do matter. We deserve to be heard and have our thoughts put into consideration.

6. It's okay to scream sometimes

I remember when I was about 15 years old coming home and being in a terrible mood. I was sitting on my deck crying and ready to explode when my "step-dad" (I absolutely hate that phrase) came out to sit next to me and told me to just let it out. He told me that sometimes we just need to let it all out, whether we scream at the top of our lungs, let out a stream of cuss words or simply just cry, we need to release it. He taught me that we can only handle so much before a person snaps and to avoid that, we need to take a moment to recognize that it's a time to scream and shout.

7. To stand up for myself

I was taught from a very young age to stand up for myself no matter what. I had to learn to do it in a calmer way of course but to never let someone put me down. Sometimes we go through phases where we allow people to walk all over us in order to avoid confrontation, I know I did, but to not allow it to become a habit. We need to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in because we matter too.

8. Walking away to cool off can be a better option

Both of my dads have pretty bad tempers and of course, I was blessed with being a hot-head whenever I get angry. So I have seen both of my dads get angry, and have waited for their heads to explode. And although I have seen them very angry, I have also watched them either walk away or just end a conversation in order to cool off and avoid a blow-up. They taught me that sometimes it's better to lose an argument than saying something terrible in a moment of anger that you are unable to take back later.

9. Women are just as capable as men

Until a few months ago, one of my dads only had four daughters and no sons (Shoutout to baby Jack for ending that), where my other dad has my sister and I and our two brothers. But growing up there was never jobs that were strictly "only for the boys" or "only for the girls" in our houses. My sisters and I learned how to do everything the boys were doing because why couldn't we? My dads taught me that being a woman doesn't mean I can't do something simply because a man normally does it; I am just as capable.

10. I don't need a man to make me happy

When I cried with a broken heart, my dads both wanted to kill the boy, as every dad always wants, but they also reminded me that I didn't need a man to make me happy. They taught me to find what makes me happy, what will make my glass half full because I am in control of my own happiness.

11. Blood doesn't make you family

As I briefly stated earlier, I absolutely hate the term "step-dad" so I just call him my dad. My mom married my dad when I was starting kindergarten and from the day we met him, he has never treated my sister and I as anything other than his children. When people would ask him if we were his step-daughters, he would correct them and tell them that no, we were just his kids. From a young age, he taught me that blood doesn't make you family, love, trust and loyalty does. And because of that, I start laughing or get upset when someone tries to tell me he's not my dad because, in my book, he is more than that.

12. Family first

Both of my dads have always stressed the importance of family time. Some days we wouldn't be able to take our phones with us places or we wouldn't be able to go to a friends house because we were having family night. Now as an adult away at college, I get excited for weekends when I can go home and visit my family. I don't make many important decisions without running it by my family first becuase I value their opninions. At the end of the day, it is your family who will be there.

13. No man will ever love me as much as him

I realized at a young age that it will never matter how much my future boyfriends and later husband loves me because no man will ever love me as much as my dads.

Growing up it was my dads who taught me how to braid my hair, who let me practice painting nails, who taught me how to drive and who spoiled me rotten. They each taught me valuable life lessons along the way that I may not have understood at the time but learned first hand as I became an adult. And at the end of the, I am beyond lucky to have these two men as my dads who will always have my back and support me in anything I set my mind too.

So to you dads, I love you and I'll see you soon.