Living at home a “child” under 18 years old, I would never claim that my dad was my best friend. He was dorky, embarrassing, and, well, old. My best friends were those super cool girls I met up with in the cafeteria and passed notes with in English class before heading off to Starbucks or whatever local coffee shop struck our fancy. (Cliché, I know). But that was high school, and this is college, and my list of best friends has pretty much done a 180.
So who’s at the top now? Of course my roommate, my other half, my soulmate. (You better believe that’s the kind of relationship we have). There are some others too, but who joined my roomie at the very top? My dad. Why him?
1. The approachable collared Polo and tennis shoes for the win. Or in my dad’s case, Clemson Crocs and a matching drawstring bag for the win. Shoutout to dad’s for embracing the stereotype and wearing their collars up proudly and always making my fashion choices look good.
2. Even if he doesn’t respond, he has to listen to all of your boy problems. His only answer may be to pull out a shotgun but at least he’s listening, right? Sometimes he will even throw in an “all boys are stupid, just don’t date any of them.” Or maybe a classic “you can’t date until you’re 30 anyways.”
3. He taught me that when you can’t beat them, you join them. As the only daughter in my family of men, I was dragged to many football games and forced to sit through anything but the chic flics I so desperately wanted to watch. As much as I tried to fight it, I sat through football and action movies for years, and now I understand the difference between the offensive and defensive lines, and can quote any of "The Bourne Identity" movies.
4. Who else will openly love watching sunsets and obsessing over cats while still tightly holding onto their man card? Sometimes even your best girlfriend can be your dad, even if he won’t admit it to the boys. I think every man has a soft side, and dad’s just embrace it.
5. Dad jokes. You can pretend they aren’t funny if you want, but secretly, they get you through those post-breakup, I failed three exams today, kind of bad days. There’s really no one else who could deliver the punch line like a dad.
6. He always knows the right things to say when you’re upset. Maybe he’s biased, but he always thinks you deserve better and you did the best you could. He’s your biggest fan and cheerleader and gives you advice that you can’t get from your teenage friends.
7. You can always use him as an excuse to not go out. Sometimes you just need that Friday night to stay in and catch up on the latest Netflix releases. Your friends won’t understand, but if dad “says no,” there can’t be any argument with that.
8. You can spend $700 at Victoria’s Secret and he won’t even question you. If you ask for money, of course he’s going to say no, unless you pull out words like panties or bras. When that happens, he has already heard too much and just throws the money at you, hoping it’s enough. You can’t put a price on never hearing those words again, right dad?
9. He is probably the only person who will use or understand archaic sayings. When I repeat sayings like, “I’m going to beat you like a red-headed stepchild” or, “It’s gonna be a long haul,” people my age look at me like I’ve gone crazy. But hey, I definitely stand out among others. Silver lining?
10. He makes you feel better when he needs your help dealing with technology. Wifi? Computers? Smartphones? Those are all foreign concepts our dear fathers will never fully understand. All they want is something to help them keep up with their children, not a difficult contraption probably sent from another planet. It’s certainly a confidence booster for you, though. The one thing they don't have all the answers to.
My dad, while still just as dorky as ever, is my best friend for so many reasons. But the biggest reason of all? He taught me how to be unapologetically myself. I have made fun of his outfit choices, jokes, and sports obsessions so many times I’ve lost count -- he just doesn’t mind. If he wants to wear socks with his Birkenstocks he’s going to do it, and if anyone wants to laugh, let them laugh. He has taught me that other’s opinions of me are so incredibly irrelevant, and if I have a few close friends who always have my back, I’m doing alright. I may not have the world behind me, but who cares?
Most importantly, he has shown me what it is like to love and be patient, two concepts much closer to one another than I had ever believed possible. I would not be the person I am today without him as my best friend.
