Hey Dad,

I’m not great at verbal affirmation, but I want to take the time to really thank you for everything you do for me. You do so many little things every day and I don’t want you to think that they go unnoticed. So, without further ado, here are 21 things I want to thank you for:

1. Thank you for caring about my grades, and wanting me to do my best. In doing so, you taught me to want to do my best in school. On the flip side, you made it clear that while grades are important, they aren’t everything, and if I’m trying my best, and learning something new in the process, then that’s the most important thing.

2. Going off that, thank you for helping me with math from grade school through college, and letting me call you when I can’t figure out basic statistics because numbers are hard.

3. Thank you for watching Bachelor/Bachelorette with me. Sorry, I’m outing your guilty pleasure, but it’s fun to have a dad that actually gets into this trashy show with me. We will always be #teamJoJo

4. Thank you for provoking a love for superheroes, Star Wars, and all movies fantasy. Since you didn’t have a son to watch these with, I got to fill in over the years, and I actually really enjoyed all of it!

5. Going off that, thank you for watching Harry Potter marathons with me over the holidays. It’s one of my favorite traditions, and obviously one of my favorite sagas. Gryffindor for life!

6. Thank you for teaching me about sports. I will never be a football aficionado, but thank you for trying. I’ll figure it out one day.

7. Thank you for being my go-to exterminator (i.e. killing spiders in my room), plumber, picture-hanger, electrician (changing a lightbulb), fixer of all things, all-encompassing handyman. I don’t know what I would do without you!

8. Thank you for slipping me $20 when I complain about being broke. We both know I’m just being dramatic, but it’s a nice gesture, and does not go unappreciated.

9. Also, thank you for attempting to instill a sense of budgeting and money accountability in me. I still don’t really understand investments, but I appreciate you trying.

10. Thank you in advance for helping me with all things money related when I’m a “real adult,” living on my own and will most likely have no idea what I’m doing.

11. Thank you for teaching me how to drive, and putting up with my bad speeding habits. Thank you, also, for coming to my rescue when I did have an accident (not my fault btw).

12. Thank you for doing your best to make it to all of my events growing up. Since mom made sure I was involved in everything, that meant a lot of talent shows, dance recitals, tennis tournaments, etc. and I appreciate you making the effort to come even with your crazy work schedule. It always meant a lot when you and mom could be there!

13. Thank you for always supporting my ever-changing career ideas. You were never the dad who laid out my future for me; you let me find my own way and figure it out for myself, and I really appreciate that. Thank you for being okay when I wanted to be a fashion designer, and then an interior designer, and now a writer.

14. Along the same lines, thank you for showing me that it’s most important to have a career doing something you love. The little boy who loved to draw found the perfect career being an architect, and 40+ years later, you still love what you do! That’s what I want to have in a career—passion for what I do—and you taught me that.

15. Thank you for teaching me the value of hard work. It still inspires me that you put yourself through college, made it through not only undergraduate, but also graduate school financing yourself, and worked incredibly hard through a really difficult master’s program. You came from a modest background, and yet look at everything you’ve accomplished in your life. You have provided our family with so much, and we couldn’t be more thankful!

16. Thank you for teaching me patience. For the most part, you are definitely the most patient person in our family, and mom and I could take a few tips from you when it comes to that trait. Thank you for being patient with us and all of our shenanigans.

17. Thank you for being understanding. You are definitely one of the most understanding people I know. Even when we don’t agree on something, you listen to why I have my stance and try your best to see my point of view, and I appreciate that.

18. Thank you for instilling the importance of curiosity. You are the king of questions, and whenever something comes up that you don’t know the answer to, no matter how small or insignificant, you take the time to look it up because you want to be more informed, and while sometimes amusing, this is a great quality.

19. Thank you for being so interested in my life. I know sometimes I tease you about asking so many questions but I appreciate that you are so invested in my life, and that you care so much.

20. Thank you for going on adventures with me, whether it be go-karting, roller-coasters in Universal, or just a walk around the neighborhood. I love spending time with you and we’ve made so many great memories over the years.

21. Thank you for being my dad. You’re one of a kind and I couldn’t ask for a better father!

I Love You!