I love my dad
I love my dad. Of course, I love my mother as well and very much. But my father and I had a very unique relationship when I was a preteen. As his firstborn child, I was his royalty and still am. I have pictures of my dad holding me in his arms and I feel his tender yet masculine love for me as his daughter.
He's a very patient and loving father to me. The times I've felt offended by him, it's because I esteem him so much that he's unintentionally unaware he's hurt me emotionally, but then he's also the one who corrects misunderstandings with me.
Sometimes growing up his holy wrath would kindle when I'd try to get away with having things done my way. An example is the clothes I tried walking out of our home in, such as an inappropriate spaghetti strap top. I often heard mom say it looked cute on me and she would compliment me, but my dad had the complete opposite attitude. He would wait until I was sitting in the vehicle buckled and then he’d command I’d go back inside our home, straight into my room, and had me exchange my top for something more conservative and appropriate for the occasion.
I hated those moments as a teenager when he (my dad) would correct me, basically, boss me by telling me where to go and what to go do but I also appreciate now the most because he cared to demonstrate his disgust and directly let me know he cared and to this day I know he cares about me including my latest appearance. I learned how to dress from the best & with the best attitude! :)
Back then in the early 1990s, as a teenager, my dad seemed to have been strict with me in comparison to my mother when it came to the clothes I wore but becasue he, as a man of God, was looking out for my own moral and morale welfare. My dad was super conservative towards me more so than my mother but you wouldn't know and you wouldn’t think it unless you knew him or got to know him. He didn't say much Mom did all the talking he observed and when he's done he hammers you! That's the way he was towards me growing up.
He was very unpredictable to me... I thought we were all cool, ya know thinking I had all green lights, I could do pretty much whatever I wanted but nope. There's a thin line where dad is dad and no longer the cool dad. :D Hahaha... An abrupt and immediate Stop! Alto!
I appreciate my dad so much and love him not only because he's held the power to correct my behavior thanks to Heavenly Father but my dad and I share a special bond. My dad and I used to watch movies together on his time off, that was how we'd spend quality time together. I knew they loved us (my brother and me). During the week I’d seen them coming home in muddy shoes knee-high mud-stained jeans & swollen hands. So I learned the value of ‘quality time’ early on and it involved family quality time.
But on Sunday, their only day off, Mom would do her thing (whatever it may have been) be she went to the mall, or gym or got her hair done, and Dad completely trusted her. Dad would make our time worthwhile by sitting on the couch next to me and we would watch HBO's Tales From The Crypt together. He wanted to know what I was up to and into so I had him watch Tales From the Crypt with me. Hahahaha... He was so cool 😎 I think it was rated PG13 and...
He let me get away with it. I think that was our little compromising middle ground.. although I was maybe 10 years old then. He let me have full access to the remote control with full power… we even had ShowTime and a TV Guide from our local Fry's grocery store. And flipping through the channels just to get Nickelodeon or Nick Jr. it was inevitable to hit an R-rated movie but I knew better. Actually, we all know better with the famous 'close your eyes, close your eyes' as most parents in my American culture have passed down to us and we pass down to our very own obedient children. :)
I loved to share my time with my dad and talk to him about my neighborhood adventures with my new school friends and their family dynamics such as Lissette Seyes having Saulito as her little brother, Tonya Dyer being the youngest child and her dad retiring from the Armed Forces, and Melissa Ramirez who lived right across the street from us who had a Hot Pink (Peptobismol) family station wagon. We all pretty much lived in the same neighborhood and shared the same schools then. Dad was so happy to hear from me and I loved his full undivided attention.
We were no longer tenants/renters we were homeowners and I think it was my dad's pleasure to hear about my exciting and wonderful New World thanks to them and the experience.
Mom and Dad always surprised me with their unexpected presence as a child and it was an adrenaline high for me to see my parents engage with me at school events, and functions, even then making time for me and my brother was a sign of a well-thought-out caring choice. They're such good parents. My parents would take us out for burgers and pizza to celebrate victories. My dad and mom got along fine. I actually admired their relationship as a child. They listened to the same music genre, liked the same foods, and talked well about their comrades, and they laughed a lot together.
Back then in the early 80s, in Yuma, AZ, we had a Pizza Parlor where beer drafts were served and that was the joint in town to go have pizza. We had no Peter Piper Pizza nor a Chuckie Cheese. I'm not even sure if we had a Pizza Hut or a Little Caesar's, as far as I remember, because Yuma was in its developing and expanding stages. However, I do remember our local mom-and-pop neighborhood small business besides our traditional McDonald's that all made a worldwide class difference for us.
I had some joyful and jolly moments next to my parents growing up next to extended family and family friends, as we all enjoyed life together. I'm thankful for that. A grateful and thankful heart is a satisfied life with God.
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