To My Father
Hey, Dad.
So on Mother's Day I wrote something for Mom and I really wanted to do the same for Father's Day. However, I realized very quickly that even following the same format, there was absolutely no way it could sound anything like that post did. For good reason -- you and Mom are very different people and have affected me in very different ways.
But here's the thing: like Mom, you also rock.
You rock for 33+ years of marriage to Mom -- who I know taxes your patience (just as often as you tax hers) -- but for never giving any indication that you'd rather be elsewhere. You two have raised the bar as far as what your three kids expect from a marriage.
You rock for showing us a relationship about as close to dead-equal as possible and at the same time not being a pansy-ass. You also rock for raising us in a non-totalitarian regime. There aren't a lot of families out there where the dad isn't either the Feared Voice Of Power or the Henpecked Wuss -- but somehow or another our family is one of them, and that truly rocks.
You rock for embarrassing me for about, oh, I'd say 18 years of my life -- roughly from the time I was three and knew the difference till the time I was 21 and realized I could give it back just as much. I'm a tougher, more independent person because of it.
You rock for instilling an appreciation for engineering (yes, even civil engineering) into your kids. I know that my math-and-science nerdiness came chiefly from you, and that's pretty much awesome.
Similarly, you rock for teaching us cribbage almost as soon as we learned to count. Our early math skills were formidable.
You rock for jumping into everything we did with enthusiasm, starting when your six-year-old daughter suggested she might want to try this soccer thing. No matter what we decide to try, you stand behind us 100%, and that's fantastic.
You rock for being utterly transparent as far as what you're feeling at any given time, and I mean that sincerely. Mia Sorella once described you as the "stormy-cloudy" parent (versus Mom's "human fog bank"-ness) and that is also something I inherited from you. There have been plenty of times where I wasn't so thankful for that (card games come to mind!), but now I can see it as a fantastic trait -- there's no hiding what's really going on this way, which makes any exchange that much more honest.
You rock for always being willing to talk to strangers, and always in a friendly way. People (with the occasional exception of the very shy) are comfortable around you in ways that I can't help but be envious of at times.
You rock for being adventurous, whether it involves trying new food or planning a trip to China. You have more interests than most grown men I know and that in itself is admirable.
Finally, remember -- when it comes to your daughters remaining single, we blame you. If women have a tendency to look for men like their fathers, we're going to have a rough go of it; that's one helluva standard.
I don't say it often, but I love you, Dad ... although I feel like that should be accompanied by a punch to the shoulder.
So on Mother's Day I wrote something for Mom and I really wanted to do the same for Father's Day. However, I realized very quickly that even following the same format, there was absolutely no way it could sound anything like that post did. For good reason -- you and Mom are very different people and have affected me in very different ways.
But here's the thing: like Mom, you also rock.
You rock for 33+ years of marriage to Mom -- who I know taxes your patience (just as often as you tax hers) -- but for never giving any indication that you'd rather be elsewhere. You two have raised the bar as far as what your three kids expect from a marriage.
You rock for showing us a relationship about as close to dead-equal as possible and at the same time not being a pansy-ass. You also rock for raising us in a non-totalitarian regime. There aren't a lot of families out there where the dad isn't either the Feared Voice Of Power or the Henpecked Wuss -- but somehow or another our family is one of them, and that truly rocks.
You rock for embarrassing me for about, oh, I'd say 18 years of my life -- roughly from the time I was three and knew the difference till the time I was 21 and realized I could give it back just as much. I'm a tougher, more independent person because of it.
You rock for instilling an appreciation for engineering (yes, even civil engineering) into your kids. I know that my math-and-science nerdiness came chiefly from you, and that's pretty much awesome.
Similarly, you rock for teaching us cribbage almost as soon as we learned to count. Our early math skills were formidable.
You rock for jumping into everything we did with enthusiasm, starting when your six-year-old daughter suggested she might want to try this soccer thing. No matter what we decide to try, you stand behind us 100%, and that's fantastic.
You rock for being utterly transparent as far as what you're feeling at any given time, and I mean that sincerely. Mia Sorella once described you as the "stormy-cloudy" parent (versus Mom's "human fog bank"-ness) and that is also something I inherited from you. There have been plenty of times where I wasn't so thankful for that (card games come to mind!), but now I can see it as a fantastic trait -- there's no hiding what's really going on this way, which makes any exchange that much more honest.
You rock for always being willing to talk to strangers, and always in a friendly way. People (with the occasional exception of the very shy) are comfortable around you in ways that I can't help but be envious of at times.
You rock for being adventurous, whether it involves trying new food or planning a trip to China. You have more interests than most grown men I know and that in itself is admirable.
Finally, remember -- when it comes to your daughters remaining single, we blame you. If women have a tendency to look for men like their fathers, we're going to have a rough go of it; that's one helluva standard.
I don't say it often, but I love you, Dad ... although I feel like that should be accompanied by a punch to the shoulder.
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