1. Hearing "parents" sends chills throughout your body

People tend to mention your parents a lot when you are young. "Are you're parents okay with that?" "How have your parents been?" "Your parents are welcome to come." The list is endless. Sometimes people don't realize that 'parents' may in fact be 'parent'. They don't mean any harm, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less to hear. Its a reminder, every time you hear it, that unlike many others your age, you do not have both parents. It's not their fault because they are unaware of your circumstance, but it is still saddening. And the absolute worst is when someone who hadn't heard asks, "how are your parents doing?" and you have to break the news to them. It's hard enough hearing the word, let alone having to explain your own father's death. Which is why you tend to not correct people when they say 'parents' because don't want to talk about it. So you just pretend like everything is fine. Even people who know about your father still sometimes say 'parents'. They may not even realize they're saying it, or that it bothers you, but it really does. Although they're not meaning to throw anything hurtful in your face, they are.

2. He won't get to experience your accomplishments

Your father won't get to watch you walk across the stage at graduation and receive your diploma. He won't see your team achieve a winning record in your sport, or get to see you write music, or whatever else your situation may be. He won't witness you get accepted into college, earn straight A's, or get your degree. He won't see you get the job you've been dreaming of, and work in your successful career. He won't get to experience what you hadn't done before he passed. It's depressing that you don't get to share these accomplishments with someone that you know would be so proud. Although you know he is watching over you, it's not the same as him being physically there as part of the moment.

3. He won't get to give the "boyfriend approval"

While this may not seem like a big deal, it is something you will dearly miss out on. You may have hated your dad's disapproval of boyfriends in the past, but he really did mean well. You don't get to hear the, "he's not right for you" or "he's not good enough for you" comments. Well, probably from your mom but you want to know what your father thinks about your significant other as well. You want to hear his opinion, you want him to be brutally honest in what he thinks. But you don't get that. Sure, you can probably assume whether your father would or wouldn't like the guy you're with, but you never actually get to hear it from him. And maybe what you think he'd feel about someone, isn't what he'd feel; you'll never know. Your boyfriend will never be granted "father approved". It's one of those things that you probably disliked before, but now that it's gone you wish you still had it.

4. You have to be more independent

When you lose your father, you can't always rely on your mom for everything. She has lost her husband just as you have lost your father. You have to step up and help her out. Your mother will need assistance in certain things and you have to be willing to do them. You start to learn to do more things on your own to ease some of the stress off of your mother. Not only are you becoming more independent because you are growing up, but because in a way, you have to be. You don't have both parents to go to, and you can't look to your mom for everything. Becoming more independent isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is difficult to get used to at a young age.

5. He won't be at your wedding

One of the most disappointing things that you will have to face later on in life is that your father will not be at your wedding. Your wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, but you know that you will have a feeling of emptiness inside when the day comes. Dad's play a big role in their daughter's weddings. You know that your father won't be there to walk you down the aisle, or lead you out on the dance floor for the father-daughter dance at your reception. It kind of makes you want to avoid marrying in the future, because you don't want to have the wedding without him. I'm sure you will gain up the courage someday, and while your wedding will still be special, it is inevitable that you will feel something is missing.

6. You won't get to have the "adult to adult" relationship

When you lose your father at a young age, you will never get to sit down, have a drink, and a good talk together. You will never get to have that sort of adult to adult bond. He only ever knew you as a kid, not the adult you will grow to be; he doesn't get to see who you become. He won't be there to help you move into your own house, or even meet the man you marry. He won't see you start a family. He will never meet the adult you. It's saddening knowing that your father will never see you grow up and start a life of your own.

7. He will never know his grandchildren

While not only he never get to know his grandchildren, his grandchildren will never get to know him. It's an upsetting feeling to know this, because you want your children to be able to know your father. Yes, they will have another grandpa (hopefully) because of your spouse, but you want them to know your dad too. He should be able to hold his grandchildren in his arms and watch them grow up, but he doesn't get that opportunity. Again, something will always feel missing in this situation. A grandpa absent from your childrens' lives, grandchildren missing from your father's - another vacant feeling.

8. He becomes "your reason"

Anytime you feel unable to do something, or too lazy to, you will think of your father. This makes you want to accomplish anything. You'll think, "do it for dad". He becomes your reason to succeed and keep going. You'll always be thinking of ways you could make him proud, even with the disappointing fact that he'll never be there to see it. Whils this isn't exactly a difficulty, it does make you think about how much you wish he was there.

9. There may be things you regret

When you're young, you tend to argue with your parents a lot. Maybe you didn't like your father's thoughts on something, or what time he told you to come home that night, etc., and you argued with him. These memories will flood your brain all the time. You will think of the fights and disagreements you had, and you will regret it. You will wish you had appreciated your father more, and that you had told him so more often. You will wish you said all the things you never got a chance to say. You will regret not spending that much time with him; people tend to do this when they lose somebody. Even if you spent every second of everyday with your father before he passed, you would most likely feel the same, but knowing that doesn't make the thought go away. Your mind races with regret everyday because of what you said or what you did. Not being able to go back and change these things is frustrating, and sometimes you genuinely get down on yourself.

10. You will have to live the rest of your life without him

This is kind of self explanatory and obvious, but some may not fully realize it. Fathers do so much for their children throughout their whole lives, not just their childhoods. While this kind of goes hand and hand with being more independent, that's not all that living without a father entails. Family events will never be same, no matter if they're 40 years since he passed. They'll be full of joyful, loving people, but you will always have that deep down feeling of missing your father. It will never go away, no matter how old you get.