Growing up, I don’t really remember my parents being together. From the time I turned six, it was just me, my dad and my brother at home. I have seen from my dad’s struggle that being a single parent definitely isn’t easy, but I think he did the best he could.

I’m in my second year of college, and my brother is going back for his master’s degree soon. My dad pushed us to be the best that we can be, and I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him. I can’t speak for the relationship between him and my brother. However, there are a million ups and downs in my relationship with my dad. Here are just a few:

We do everything together.

My dad is my go-to partner for trips to the history center, getting my hair cut, shopping, attending church and going out to eat. He’s done a lot of “girly” things with me, but he has never complained about it once. When I was 10, my Christmas gift from him was a trip to The American Girl Place in Chicago. For two days we were surrounded by those 18-inch historical dolls and their accessories, and we loved every second of it. We watch TV together every time I’m home, and he records the new "Big Bang Theory" episodes for me while I’m at school. We especially love watching Nickelodeon shows together, like "Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide," "Drake & Josh" and "Victorious."

I value his opinion.

Does he like the black boots or the brown boots better with this dress? Does he think I should add more garlic to the chicken I made? How should I arrange the letters on my poster for general music methods? Aside from nit-picky things like that, I ask my dad for his input on big decisions all the time. He had a massive impact on helping me decide to transfer schools and change my major, and I’m beyond thankful that he’s always so willing to help me.

I tell him (almost) everything.

I keep my dad up to date with my friends on the littlest details because he genuinely loves them as much as he loves me, and he wants to know what’s going on (Becky, he’s still so excited that you’re working at the hospital, and he said he’s proud of you). I fill him in on my relationship because he’s constantly worried about me and wants to make sure everything is okay. I fill him in on the rehearsal process for whatever play I’m in, and I tell him about each person in the cast, my opinions on the play, the director(s) and how I’m coping with rehearsals along with school work. He just really wants to be included, and I love that he’s so interested in everything that I’m doing.

When we fight, it's awful.

When my dad is off of work, it’s usually just the two of us at home while my brother works a second job or goes to the gym. We spend a lot of time together, and it ends up being too much at times. I like being alone, but he smothers me. We often misunderstand what the other person is trying to say, or the tone of voices may not agree, and we end up screaming at one another. I usually end up bawling, and we go a few days barely speaking to each other. Then he’ll finally have me sit down with him and he’ll tell me how unhappy he is with what happened. We both recognize that we’re really all the other person has, and it hurts us both so deeply when we fight.

He is overprotective.

Any time I leave the house and my dad is at work, I have to call him at least five times: When I leave, when I arrive at my destination, a couple of hours after that, when I stop to eat and when I get home. Last summer, my boyfriend took me to his church and there was a picnic afterwards. We ended up spending the whole day with his family, and he took me home after dark. I had been calling my dad throughout the day. I walked in my house at 10:11 p.m., and my dad was furious. My dad met my boyfriend a couple of times before, and I was with his family the entire day, but he was still angry and considered 10:11 p.m. to be way too late for me to be out. I had been out with friends past midnight and there was never a problem, but this was different. While I don’t think a little past 10 p.m. was too late for me, I should have called and given him a heads up so that he wouldn’t have been worried.

He forces me to be an adult.

I hate talking on the phone with people that I don’t know. I’m afraid of sounding stupid or messing up, but my dad has me to do things like make my own doctor’s appointments. At first, this was a complete nightmare for me, but I’m fine with it now. He also expects me to have laundry and dishes done before he gets home from work, along with running the vacuum and cleaning up what messes my cats make. I know he does this to teach me basic life skills, and because he needs help and can’t do everything by himself. I don’t mind helping him and getting things done, but sometimes (most of the time) I just want to sleep all day and enjoy Harry Potter weekends.

He supports me in everything I do.

If I decided to become a body builder or take up basket weaving, my dad would be all for it. When I was little, I played several sports, took a variety of dance classes, and played in band and orchestra. My dad was there for all of my games and recitals, even if he showed up during the last inning or for the last song of the concert.

My dad and I are definitely closer than most fathers and daughters. He does little things for me like offering to pack my lunch or buying me Charlie Brown stickers just because they made him think of me. He does big things like helping me prepare for going to Europe in May and giving me incredible life advice. Our relationship takes a lot of work, and it certainly isn’t always easy to keep one another from getting upset, but that’s okay. I will always be thankful for having him in my life. Dad, you’re crazy. You are a pain in the neck sometimes, but I love you.