My dad’s never been one to let me go the easy route. I remember one of the first days we got into quarantine, my dad sent me an email. He didn’t go and talk to me, he sent an email. So, I’m sitting at my desk, my ipad lighting up my face, when I read what it says. It’s a schedule. This is before we got back to school too. I was surprised, to say the least. I was still on break, I had the mentality that I could do whatever, as long as I was getting exercise and reading. We never followed that schedule exactly, but it still served as a guiding star to what we should do during the day. In the end, he cares about how we operate. It can seem like a bit of pressure, but a bit of pressure is a good thing. He makes sure we never feel overwhelmed.

Even though he can put pressure on me, my dad’s very supportive. He tells us that if I ever need something, to come to him, and while at times this can feel impossible, it’s nice to have that option. It was a sunny afternoon when I was sitting in the car with him. He wanted us to go check out schools, just by driving around them. To me, it sounded stupid, but I had nothing better to do that day, so I said sure. We had just finished looking at one, when my dad turns to me, from the drivers seat to me sitting beside him. He says, “Do you want to do another?” I thought for a bit. “Sure.” “It’ll be about an hour.” “Okay.” So, we kept driving, out of the parking lot behind the school and onto the open road, passing houses and mailboxes that lined the streets. At that moment, it’s just him and I, so I do something that I’m not usually comfortable with. “I’m gonna play some music, okay?” My dad looks a little taken aback. “Uh...sure.” So the music starts to play. It drifts through the air at some points and rattles around the car at others. And we start talking about it. He knows much more about it than I do, so he points out things that I never realized. In that hour, it wasn’t about the schools, it was about me talking to my dad. It can be hard to open up about things, especially with your parents, but I know that when I do start to talk about things I don’t normally share, they’ll hear it. 

It can be difficult to see your parents as people. From my perspective, they go do work and then relax when they aren’t. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine them with their own pasts, but seeing your parents as young people once is in my opinion, one of the most important things to do. My dad loves sharing stories about crazy things he did when he was younger; I’ve been hearing the same stories for years. From times when my dad was a kid to times when he was in college, he tells funny stories of what happened to him and his friends. The stuff that’s harder to get out of him though, is the things he regrets. The things he doesn’t like to share. The things that aren’t secrets, but aren’t things he likes to shout out to the world. Inside those stories, are lessons. Lessons on what not to do. Some of these he’ll share with me and some he lets me learn on my own, but those stories are what makes him human. At the end of the day that’s all he is, a human. 

My dad does a lot for me. He pushes me in the right direction; he supports me when I need to be supported; and he teaches me how to be human. My dad’s important to me, especially now.