Father’s Day is just around the corner and every year it makes me think about my dad and how grateful I am for him.
I know that Father’s Day is a wonderful time for some families who get to love and appreciate their dads. I also know that Father’s Day is a hard time for some people who have lost their fathers or have been hurt or abandoned by their fathers and it is a reminder of the pain that is still there.
My dad has been a great father to us but that was something that he had to learn over a period of time. My dad didn’t have a great father. My dad’s father abandoned him when he was very young after his mother had died of leukaemia and he had remarried another women and left his children to make a life with her.
Father’s Day is a reminder to me of how grateful I am that my dad changed the story for our family. Instead of repeating the mistakes of his father he chose to stick around and make it work with my mum and in doing so created for himself a family who loves and cares for each other.
Below are 6 things I am grateful to my dad for teaching me …
- My dad taught me to show up on time. This might sound like a silly little thing but as an adult I realise that being on time has been part of my success in life. Very rarely am I late for things and if I am going to be late I will always let the person know. This has meant people have learnt they can trust and rely on me to be there, which in a work context has helped me develop great trusting relationships.
- My dad taught me that no task was ever below me. Due to my dad having to work doing all different kinds of jobs from the age of 10 to get by he learnt humility and to work hard. My dad taught me that all people are equal and no one is ever above “cleaning the toilets”. I literally remember him saying that to me one day.
- My dad taught me to do what I say I am going to do. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. People know they can rely on me if I say I am going to do something or I will show up to help. I often feel like I don’t really know if some people are going to do what they said they would until they actually do it depending on how they were feeling that day.
- My dad taught me that the best person to be was me. I never had pressure from either of my parents to be something that I was not. I was a slightly strange, quirky kid from memory hahaha and they always loved me just as I was and supported me in my crazy ideas … they still do haha.
- My dad taught me that I can choose how the story ends. He taught me this by changing his story and experience and trajectory in life. He taught me that my past experiences and decisions don’t have to determine my future and it was up to me how life was going to pan out.
- My dad taught me that marriage and loving your partner wasn’t always about how you feel. He taught me that in those moments when it is tough and hard and you are struggling that you make a choice despite how you feel to make it work. (I do want to say that there was no physical or emotional abuse in my household growing up but we were humans and at times life did get pretty tough)
My dad is one of my heroes. He wasn’t perfect and still isn’t but he is my dad and I would not change that for the world!!
