Saturday, April 21, 2012

R

R is for my dad Roger. I could not have asked for a better father. I know not everyone is blessed with the kind of relationship that I have with my dad, so that makes me even that much more thankful for him. People sometimes say things like, "she really is her mother's daughter." Well, I REALLY am my father's daughter. We are very different people, but I have so many of the same personality traits at him, that at times it's almost ridiculous. As you grow older you start to see your parents as actual people and begin to know them more as a friend and confidant. The funny thing is I don't think parents realize that when their kids get older, they start to look back at events in the past and view them like an adult rather than as the kid they were when it happened.

My parents got divorced when I was about 5 or 6, I can't really remember. However, even though my parents weren't together, I never lost either of them. Sometimes with divorce the one parent kind of drifts away slowly. Not my dad. He was there every other weekend, every Tuesday, and at every school, sport, or other event. When my mother moved us four hours away, my dad rearranged his life so that he was still there to get us whenever he was supposed to. And I know he would have gotten us more if he could have. This might not seem like a lot to some people, but being an adult now makes me realize how much work it took. There are so many people my age who aren't with their child's father  or mother and the fathers or mothers just kind of live their lives like they don't have children. So I really do appreciate the dedication he had to spending time with us. It makes all the difference in the world to me now.

Secondly, I laugh now at all the times my dad told me something when I was a teenager that just seemed sooooo stupid to me. He always used to say, in reference to my curfew, "you don't need to be out any later than that because nothing good ever happens after midnight." (my curfew was 11) I would beg and plead with him that all the other kids got to stay out later and he was so unfair, but boy was he right. He just kind of had this way of saying things so matter of fact, like they weren't up for debate, but without that condescending tone that most parents have. He would just tell me why I wasn't allowed to do something and just know that someday I would understand. I understand now. I appreciate his honesty and way of teaching me things. I hope that one day I can be the same way with my own son.

As an adult we have become even closer. I like to think of him as a friend. I talk to him on a regular basis, which for me, sometimes means calling him 5 times a day about absolutely nothing. He isn't much of a phone person, but he puts up with it. I love that I can invite my dad over for a cup of coffee and conversation. I love that he will watch my son for me when I ruined my hair with a box of hair dye and need to make an emergency run to the salon. I love that I can share anything with him. I love that he loves me, no matter what. I love that I don't have to question if my dad is proud of me. I love that I know he will always be there. I love my dad.

1 comment:

  1. this has been such a heart warming blog , God bless you and Mr.Dad

    ReplyDelete