Good Dad Moment
My senior year of high school was a bit unique. My dad decided to retire early from Kokak and accepted a job with Hewlett Packard in Boise, Idaho. I am the youngest and luckily, one of my older sisters had just graduated from college and moved back home. Thanks to wonderful parents who trusted me a great deal, they moved to Idaho and I was able to stay in Rochester, New York to finish my senior year. It was an incredible challenge but blessing because that year I was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, an NHS officer, captain of the varsity volleyball team, involved in symphonic and jazz band, and I met my husband.
But this did lead to some interesting circumstances. I was 17 and basically taking care of myself while my sister kept an eye on me. My parents would come home at times and one such time was for my high school graduation. I am a late night kind of person and remember staying after a graduation party one night just talking and playing ping pong with a few friends. Before I knew it is was pretty late and I knew I was going to be in trouble. My parents and I still to this day disagree on when a good time to go to bed is and it was especially an issue when I was 17 and used to not having them around. I was pretty good about sneaking in quietly and thought perhaps they would never know what time I had actually gotten home that night.
The next morning my dad asked if he could talk to me and I knew it was coming. I was all ready to defend myself. Dad, I'm almost 18, I've practically been living on my own for the past year and doing a pretty good job of it, I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was with good people, you should know me well enough to trust me to make good choices, etc. I sat down opposite my dad on the couch and he didn't say anything. Tears just started rolling down his cheeks and he told me how worried he had been last night about me and my safety. He was so concerned that something had happened to me and was immensely relieved when I finally came home. He asked me to please do better because he loves me and just didn't want anything to happen to me while driving home so late at night.
My defenses completely melted away and I promised to be better about coming home at a certain time. It was a defining moment to me in our relationship and I'm grateful to have had that experience. It not only taught me about my dad's love for me but gives me a wonderful example I hope to emulate someday. I'm grateful for parents who did trust me and who helped me make choices out of love and respect for them.
But this did lead to some interesting circumstances. I was 17 and basically taking care of myself while my sister kept an eye on me. My parents would come home at times and one such time was for my high school graduation. I am a late night kind of person and remember staying after a graduation party one night just talking and playing ping pong with a few friends. Before I knew it is was pretty late and I knew I was going to be in trouble. My parents and I still to this day disagree on when a good time to go to bed is and it was especially an issue when I was 17 and used to not having them around. I was pretty good about sneaking in quietly and thought perhaps they would never know what time I had actually gotten home that night.
The next morning my dad asked if he could talk to me and I knew it was coming. I was all ready to defend myself. Dad, I'm almost 18, I've practically been living on my own for the past year and doing a pretty good job of it, I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was with good people, you should know me well enough to trust me to make good choices, etc. I sat down opposite my dad on the couch and he didn't say anything. Tears just started rolling down his cheeks and he told me how worried he had been last night about me and my safety. He was so concerned that something had happened to me and was immensely relieved when I finally came home. He asked me to please do better because he loves me and just didn't want anything to happen to me while driving home so late at night.
My defenses completely melted away and I promised to be better about coming home at a certain time. It was a defining moment to me in our relationship and I'm grateful to have had that experience. It not only taught me about my dad's love for me but gives me a wonderful example I hope to emulate someday. I'm grateful for parents who did trust me and who helped me make choices out of love and respect for them.
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