I have nothing but respect and admiration for my mother; she was basically a single working mother who raised 3 kids and was our sole financial and emotional provider, and taught me many other things besides how to be anxious, that I will talk about at another time. But I need to give my dad some credit.
My dad let me be a kid. When I went to my dad's house every second weekend, I was free. The kind of free most kids get to be and take for granted. I was allowed to play in the yard, I was allowed to walk in the blueberry fields and collect berries for tomorrow's pancake breakfast, I was allowed to play with tools and nails and wood to build any creation I liked. My dad taught me my respect for our elders, he taught me that manners shouldn't be just an obligation but a genuine sign of thanks and appreciation, my dad taught me that I was normal just as much as I was anxious.
I've always related to my dad in a different way than the rest of my immediate family, it might be because we look nearly identical, or it might be because a large piece of him was able to come through in me and not my siblings. My ability to let the small stuff roll off my back comes from him. Mom gave me the ability to fight the difficult and be strong and how to struggle and be a survivor, but dad showed me how to not let the little things make you crack. My dad suffers no mental ailments, my dad calls him self an idiot savant, probably because he ended up working menial warehouse jobs after having 3 unplanned children very young in order to pay rent and child support, instead of reaching his full potential. I think my dad would have been an amazing teacher, he has an unbelievable memory for history and interesting facts, another quality I inherited from him.
So to my dad, I say thank you. Your love of knowledge and your playful ability to let the small stuff slide truly rubbed off on me and made it easier to be who I am.
My dad let me be a kid. When I went to my dad's house every second weekend, I was free. The kind of free most kids get to be and take for granted. I was allowed to play in the yard, I was allowed to walk in the blueberry fields and collect berries for tomorrow's pancake breakfast, I was allowed to play with tools and nails and wood to build any creation I liked. My dad taught me my respect for our elders, he taught me that manners shouldn't be just an obligation but a genuine sign of thanks and appreciation, my dad taught me that I was normal just as much as I was anxious.
I've always related to my dad in a different way than the rest of my immediate family, it might be because we look nearly identical, or it might be because a large piece of him was able to come through in me and not my siblings. My ability to let the small stuff roll off my back comes from him. Mom gave me the ability to fight the difficult and be strong and how to struggle and be a survivor, but dad showed me how to not let the little things make you crack. My dad suffers no mental ailments, my dad calls him self an idiot savant, probably because he ended up working menial warehouse jobs after having 3 unplanned children very young in order to pay rent and child support, instead of reaching his full potential. I think my dad would have been an amazing teacher, he has an unbelievable memory for history and interesting facts, another quality I inherited from him.
So to my dad, I say thank you. Your love of knowledge and your playful ability to let the small stuff slide truly rubbed off on me and made it easier to be who I am.
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