I was fortunate to grow up in a one parent household. I know what you are thinking: fortunate? But it truly was the best way for me to have gone through my childhood. Not only was I lucky to have grown up with one parent in a household where we both knew exactly how things worked, but I grew up with a single dad. Don't get me wrong, there were struggles just like any other family, especially as a teenage girl trying to navigate through high school. Regardless, I wouldn't have changed a thing and my dad taught me lessons that no one else could have done the same, beyond how to ride a bike or fix things around the house.

1. Other teenage girls are awful.

I remember experiencing other girls in school and how judgmental and unfriendly some of them could be. I had such a hard time finding my place in school as I was quite the tomboy. I remember I moved towards having more guy friends as a result and truly found my place in high school, all because my dad helped me embrace who I was as a person.

2. How to speak my mind.

Growing up, especially as a girl, sometimes speaking up for yourself and what you believe in can get misunderstood as being brash or pushy. My dad taught me to look past what other people will say and to speak up for what I believe. He taught me that my thoughts and ideas are important and relevant. This is a lesson that I use every day. I am empowered and fearless when it comes to telling people how I feel. I will never let something important that is bothering me go unresolved, and I will always offer up my opinion on a given topic, which has proved very useful in college.

3. The importance of work and providing for myself.

Whether it was drilling me to turn the lights off if I wasn't using them ("Electricity is expensive and money doesn't grow on trees!"), or helping me understand the importance of a good work ethic and that no job is below me, my dad has always provided me the knowledge and support I need to be successful for myself. I have worked since I was 15, and I am a fairly self-sufficient person. My dad has made it possible to merge into the adult world without fear about working or understanding that I have to work for everything I have.

4. How to find a great man (in the future).

This one is still up for debate because let's face it, I am bound to make dating mistakes. After all, I am only 18. But one of the most valuable lessons my father ever gave me was what to look for in men, but also in people. He has always said that I am very purposeful in who I surround myself with. He taught me about games that boys may play ("They are only after one thing, you know!"), but he has also taught me what makes a good man through his own influence. I'm confident that I will find someone based off of what I know because of my dad.

5. How to feed off of my own fear.

My dad has recently explained to me how everything worth doing is just beyond my greatest fears. Whether that be a fear of heights of a fear of failure, he has given me the mindset to try things, even when they scare the living hell out of me. That pushed me to go to college out of state, to start writing for The Odyssey, to change my major, and countless other things. And along with trying despite being afraid, he also taught me to get up every time I do fail and attempt it again, to not get discouraged when what I was afraid of comes true. I would e much less successful and ambitious without this lesson.

6. Nothing is too hard or too far off.

My dad helps me feed off my fear, but he also reminds me that everything that is worth my time will come with hard work and failures along the way. But not a day has gone by where he made me feel like I wasn't capable of overcoming those obstacles. He reminds me that I am capable of all things and that "I am his greatest achievement", even when I feel like a mess.

I stand by the statement that there are some things that dads just know, and that they can teach you that other people can't. Even though we don't always like to admit it, fathers are pretty cool, and even smart. I just happened to get lucky with the best one! Thanks dad, for making me everything that I am today, I love you.