My mother and I have always been relatively close, and regardless of some of our problems, we always talk to each other. My father and I did not start building an actual relationship until just about three years ago.
He and I are alike in many ways. We’re both very private, share a lot of the same opinions and express our emotions similarly. I discovered all of this recently. Before then, he was pretty much just a parent. We spoke few words to each other, he would discipline me during my teenage years and whatnot.
Now, when I look at my father, I know I’m not alone in the many things I feel and endure. Some of the best feelings I’ve found include being able to share laughs with him, and having him tell me he’s proud of me. I know now that my father has my back. I can tell he’s protective of me because he doesn’t want to see me hurt in ways that he’s been hurt. I can tell that he supports what I do because when I tell him things that I’ve accomplished, I quickly catch the beginnings of a smile on his face. With him, it’s the little things that matter the most. I know that I can whole-heartedly trust him without fearing that he may manipulate my words around (something that my mother does sometimes).
For his 52nd birthday, I actually bought him a card and wanted so badly to express how I felt to him. I was ridiculously hesitant on his reaction, and how I would go about giving him the card while I was in school. (I lived on-campus at my previous college.) I feel that the holidays this year might just be the appropriate time to thank him for everything he’s done for me.
