My dad isn’t the most emotional person I know. I’ve only seen him cry once in my entire life, and he rarely gives sappy speeches. That’s not who he is. However, he is there for me every day in so many little ways that make me know how lucky I am to have a father like him. I know there are going to be so many articles written about fathers this week, but I don’t care. I’m away from my dad right now, so this is my Father’s Day gift to him: To thank him for just a few of the many, many things he does for me.
He tells me he loves me nearly every single day because when he was growing up, his family rarely said that to one another. Not because they didn’t love each other, but because they just weren’t the most emotional family. So, my dad always tells my brother and me he loves us so we’ve never, ever doubted that.
There is no one in the world I feel safer with. Whether we’re walking down the street in a crowded city or just in my house, I always know nothing bad will happen to me when my dad’s around. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my best friend and I were running a lemonade stand in my driveway. We were probably around eight years old and these boys kept biking over to us and trying to buy lemonade with rocks or trading a rock for a kiss (you know how popular the currency of rocks was with the eight-year-olds back then). I went and told my dad these boys were bothering us. The next time we saw those bikes rounding the corner, all my dad did was open our front porch door and stand in the doorway to glare at them, and the boys all cried out, “Oh NO, oh GOD,” and biked away as fast as they could pedal. My dad will always protect me.
He gives great advice. Although we all joke about his “when I was young” sentiments or long speeches, I actually do pay attention to his advice. He wants my brother and me to do our best in everything we can, so he always encourages us to work hard, follow our passions and have fun in our lives. He’s helped me with work, school, stress, homesickness and countless other issues.
He can be annoyingly cheery (especially in the mornings). I will never be a morning person; it’s just not a part of my anatomy. My dad, however, is awake and smiling as soon as he gets out of bed, without any coffee or booster to help. Grumpy morning me is not usually about it, but it is nice to wake up to a happy house.
He lets me ramble on forever. I know I talk a lot. It runs in the family, okay? Sometimes my dad will come home from work, and I’ll sit on the bed in my parents' room while he puts his work things away and just talk about my day or a random thought I had. I know he’s probably tired, and I can talk for a while, but he always listens and cares.
He always makes time for our family, even though he has to work a lot. I just started at an internship where I work nine to five every weekday, and even though it’s a lot of fun, it’s exhausting. All I want to do at the end of the day is come home and sink into my bed with some Netflix. My dad’s been working those hours plus nightly work at home plus business trips for years, but he is always with us at dinner or when we watch a family movie or just to talk to. I’ve never felt like he was too busy for me, even when his work gets crazy.
So Happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad in the world (someday I’ll get you the mug so it’s official). Thank you for everything you do, and I love you.
