My whole life, my dad has been a police officer. He has gone off to work nearly every day to help others and make sure that the city he works in is safe. I’m proud to call him my father because every day he goes to work to keep others protected, even if it means the possibility of him being harmed. A lot of things come with having a parent as a police officer, such as riding in police cars and hoping that nothing happens to them.

If you are the child of a police officer, you can probably relate to most of these:

• Most likely your parent will be gone for part or all of holidays. But you don’t mind, because you know there’s people out there that need your parent that night more than you do.
• You’re familiar with some parts of the law and can probably recite the Miranda Rights by heart. Whenever someone asks you, “can I get pulled over for this?” you probably know the answer (and most of the time it’s yes).
• You know you can always use the “my dad/mom is a police officer” trick if you get pulled over (or you might’ve already have). The only problem with this is that it may or may not work.
• You understand how worrying it can be to have your parent be gone on calls and hoping that nothing happens to them. Especially when there’s protests or big sports games going on, and you know that the night is going to be crazy for them, you just hope that they come back safely.
• It’s always exciting to take a ride in a squad car. Even though you’re never able to turn the sirens on or talk over the radio, it never gets old.
• You’re probably familiar with your parent recommending that you don’t become a police officer. They know firsthand how dangerous the job can be, and don’t want you to have to experience the same things they have.
• Realizing that one day, your parent might not come home, and how scary that is. Being a police officer is a dangerous job, and anything can happen on a call. The best thing you can do is not think about it.
• The endless questions when you were little about the weapons on your parent’s belt. My dad was always patient with answering questions about his gun, Taser, and pepper spray when I was younger. He would answer anything I asked him about his job.
• When people claim that they hate law enforcement or some other insult towards officers, you feel just a little offended. Coming from personal experience of hearing people claim that police officers are either racist or terrible people, it can hurt when you know that your parent works hard to keep other people safe. Yes, some police officers probably shouldn’t be officers, but do not put them all into the same category. The mistakes of a few do not account for the rest.

In these days, when police officers are now being scrutinized for every move they make, it can be difficult to have a police officer as a parent. But I love both the pros and cons. I’m grateful for my father and everything he has done throughout his career. And I’m thankful for every day he comes home safe from work.