Dear Dad,
When most people think of single parents their minds tend to jump to single mothers because of the fact that they are more common. Not to say that they don't deserve this, because they do. But, to my single father, just know that you are not forgotten. I know that you have struggled just as much as a single moms do in some of the same ways but also in many different ways as well.
You became a single parent at the young age of 19. You've sacrificed your time, your energy, and basically everything that you are for your little girl. You paid for every sport imaginable that I wanted to try, you paid hundreds for cheerleading simply because I loved it, you sat at every competition - sometimes by yourself because you wanted to, not because you had to.
No matter how tired you were or how I was treating you that day, you still managed to do whatever you had to for me. And you continue to do that to this day. So, thank you for forgiving me. I have messed up more times than I can count, giving you attitude, not showing how much I really do appreciate you, and fighting with you over nonsense. But, you have never used this against me, always accepting my apologies and sometimes accepting the fact that you might not even get one. This may not seem like the biggest deal to you, but to me it is.
As a single parent you must've felt, at times, that the whole world was crumbling down around you. You've always held it all together for me and been my backbone even when you're hurting. There is not enough time in the world for me to make this up to you. You have given me the best life imaginable and have inspired me to be the best that I can be. I hope to be at least half the person that you are.
A simple "thank you" doesn't do justice for all of the sacrifices that you have made for me. Those two words are not enough to express how incredibly thankful I am to have you as my father and as my role model. However, there are no better words in the english language to attempt to use to acknowledge you and everything you've done for me.
So, Thank you,
Thank you for not only being the greatest father in the world but for also taking on the role of mom at times. Thank you for being the most supportive person in my life and never giving up on me. Thank you for letting me know that it's okay to cry and for holding me when I do. Thank you for being the only dad to show up at every school event no matter how "girly" it was. Thank you for always being honest with me and for never, ever breaking a promise. Thank you for loving me even when i'm at my worst. Most importantly, thank you for being you.
I love you daddy.
Love always,
Your incredibly grateful daughter.
