As with my mom, I am so grateful for the way that my dad parented us. It has always been done with nothing but love. I love that I have never seen my dad as the scary discipline enforcer (The, "wait until your father gets home...." kind). I can only vividly remember one time when my dad got really mad at me...and it was completely justified (though, let's be honest, the Nutcracker is a long play for a toddler to control her bladder through!). Part of the reason that I don't remember my dad getting mad at me very often is because I have always respected him too much to do anything that would upset him. I like to think of myself as having been a pretty good kid and I think a lot of that had to do with me simply not wanting to disappoint my parents. Because of this, I have been able to develop a much more friendship-like relationship with my dad. I love that.
I love that my dad instilled in me a lot of the same love that he has for having fun. While there are some things that my dad loves that I will never be interested in - like deer hunting or playing with people's bones and ligaments - we share a lot of the same interests. We love watching movies, playing board games, sitting in the hot tub, snow skiing, camping, hiking, four-wheeling, and eating spinach artichoke dip. I also don't think that you could find two people who love boating on the beautiful Snake River more than we do....except for maybe my siblings. I have so many great memories of me doing these things with my dad, and I love every opportunity that I get to spend a little time with him doing something that we love.
I have a lot of respect for my dad. Professionally, he is extremely accomplished and I never pass up an opportunity to brag about him a little bit. While a lot of people think that the salary that comes with being an orthopedic surgeon is the thing to brag about, that's never the first thing that comes to my mind. There is definitely something to be said for the dedication and time that it takes to get to where my dad is today. I'm grateful for that example that he set for me. If he can get a 4.0 in his undergrad and then go on to be successful in I don't even know how many more years of schooling and training, I can certainly get through 3 years at SVU majoring in Family and Child Development. I also like to brag a little bit about what a cool job (I think) he has and how wonderful he is at it. I love when I hear people praising my dad for the good work that he did on their sister's husband's cousin's knee. He's kind of the best there is.
I am so grateful for the way my dad is able to balance his professional and home life. I can't really remember how it was when I was younger, but I know that at least in recent years he always makes time for his kids. During the summer, I can always count on him calling to see if I want to go boating the second he is done working....even if he would probably rather take a nice long nap. Even during an extremely busy day (which is mostly every day) he will find time to talk to me on the phone if I call, or go to lunch with me when I'm home, or make a patient wait for him at the hospital while we finish our board game. I never ever feel like a burden to my dad. Despite his exhausting work schedule, he always makes me feel like the most important person in his life. Not enough children can say that about their fathers and I am so grateful that I can.
I am so thankful that I can always count on my dad to be there for me in any way that I need him. I love the time that I get to spend with him and am so grateful for the friendship that we share. He is amazing.
Thanks for everything Dad. I love you.
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