My dad, Henry, is just like all other great dads. He is nurturing. He is caring. He is loving. He is supportive. And because of that, I believe I have become the best human being that I’m capable of being… I think that’s the ultimate tribute to a parent from a child.
But unlike other fathers, my dad has become all of that… without the support of a strong, supportive man in his life. My dad was told his entire life that he “was good for nothing”. After his mom died when he was nine, my dad was raised with his 3 sisters by his alcoholic father struggling with addiction and struggling to make ends meet. I do believe my dad was loved, but I also believe that love was never expressed. I know my dad was not hugged and kissed, encouraged, or supported by the man who was supposed to show him all of those things.
That… is what makes my dad so special. He taught himself how to become a good man and an even better father. No one showed him how to do that. Sometimes I feel guilty that my dad gives me all of the love and support that he deserved, but never got. I am amazed everyday that my dad had the knowledge, the courage, and the heart to break away from what he saw and become the best father that he could possibly be.
Popularity: 1% [?]
A very touching tribute. My father had a very hard life, too, and would never talk about it. I’ve been doing genealogy research on our family for years, but the gap of not knowing about my parents’ lives (my mother had a hard life, too, but died before she could share it with us) was a big one I thought would never be filled. Then, a few years ago, my father finally started talking and we convinced him to write it down for us. So far he has given us almost one hundred pages of his life and it has meant so much to us, and answered some questions and provided explanations for things we couldn’t understand before. It’s a treasure we will cherish forever because we know what it cost him to give it to us.
Awesome idea Lynn. I’ve been thinking of asking my dad to do the same. I’d like to take what he gives me and turn it into a book.
Best selling Author Jeannette Walls gave me the idea. She wrote New York Times best seller “The Glass Castle”, a memoir about her life. When I met her a few months ago, Jeannette told me everyone has a story to tell. She told me that she was sure I’d one day find a story to write … whether it be mine or someone else’s. I think my dad’s story might be the perfect story to tell.