Dear Dad,

When I left for college last August, I didn’t think I’d miss my family all that much. I was excited for my new adventure, and I couldn’t wait to live on my own. You all had been driving me crazy for the last three months. But the longer I was away, the more I missed home. I realized that it’s really hard to be away from my family, especially you, for so long.

That first semester, I missed you so much. I missed listening to you change the lyrics to every song that came on the radio. I missed hearing you recite words backwards for no real reason. I missed testing you on your mental math by asking you to do four-digit multiplication. I missed you killing bugs for me when I found them in my room. I missed watching our sitcoms together every week. I missed your jokes that were so bad, they were funny. I missed eating your famous chili every football Sunday. I missed you throwing your hat at the TV and screaming obscenities when the Eagles were losing. I missed laughing at you trying to figure out current slang words but being about three years behind the times, and I missed watching you embarrass yourself in front of my friends by trying to use said slang words.

Now that I’m home for the summer, I don’t miss you anymore, and you’re starting to drive me crazy again. But one thing I can say is that I appreciate you more than I did last summer. Now that I’ve had to live on my own, three hours away from you, I’ve realized just how much I need you. I’ve also realized just how alike we really are. All of my best qualities come from you. I inherited your left-handedness, your sense of humor (aka dad jokes for days), your wit and intelligence, your enthusiasm for sports and the Eagles, and, yes, your unusually large forehead (thanks for that, by the way). I know we always joke that you might not be my father because we don’t look very much alike, but I think anyone who spends even a short amount of time with us can tell that there’s no question I’m your daughter. I love you, and I’m proud to call you my father.

For more than 18 years, you’ve been a positive figure in my life and someone I admire very much. You’ve been my role model, my chauffeur, and sometimes a huge embarrassment (please stop trying to be cool around my friends, you’re embarrassing yourself… and me), but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I definitely would not have made it this far without your constant love and support. I know there is no way I can possibly repay you for everything you’ve done for me, but I’m going to spend my whole life trying. Thank you for everything.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you.

Love,

Your not-so-little girl