7 Games You Can Play With a Brick

Dad

It’s only really been the past two years that my dad has shown any interest in me, or show me any attention at all really. But who could really blame him, with three girls in the house it’s hard to focus on just one for more than a few minutes.Being the middle child didn’t really help either, I’m neither the role model or “daddy’s little girl”. I didn’t play any sports that were interesting to come and watch. The only time he ever watched me play anything was when I was on the boys soccer team. I guess in a way I was the closest thing to a son he was going to have. Then I decided to go to school for fashion. Still not sure how he feels about that. I also inherited his quietness, which made it hard to talk to him about anything ever, even though I really wanted to. 

Although I don’t remember it I know my dad was always there for us when we were little, playing road hockey with us and taking us on snowmobile rides. Then as we got older there were less and less things to do with him. He started working and stuff all the time. Cause he wanted to make sure his little girls could always have a place to live, food to eat, and always have anything we needed, if we needed it. With Veronica living at home now I know it puts a lot of stress on everyone, cause she was the role model, and she messed up. But of course since Veronica made mistakes that means I’m never allowed to, cause I should learn from HER mistakes. Which isn’t fair, but I see the point.. The thing was my dad never told me to learn from Veronica’s mistakes, cause he’s the one who knows that it doesn’t work that way.

My dad’s the kind of person who doesn’t really show emotion, he has maybe three emotions that I’ve ever noticed. The first is anger/annoyed, he always gets annoyed when my mom tried to bring him into arguments. The second is happy and jokster, bring his friends over and hand them some beers and my dad is the jolliest guy you’ll ever meet. The third emotion is just tired, he’s always tired. When my uncle died on Christmas Eve 3 years ago the whole family was distraught. At the funeral there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t in tears.. Except for my dad. He was the only person who didn’t cry. Not because he didn’t care, and not because he doesn’t cry, but because he knew his brother finally wouldn’t hurt himself, or hurt any of his family anymore. That’s why it was a pretty big deal to me when my dad started to sob when he dropped me off at college my first year. It was probably the first moment I ever really realized that he cares, and that almost everything he does is for his girls, not for him. It was a big moment in my life.   

There are only a few people in my life that I will classify as a hard worker because they will work and work and work until they get where they need to get to. My dad is the first one, because he works 6 to 7 days a week. When he’s not working for my grandpa for the 6 days of the week he’s washing trucks or snowplowing for the extra cash. The second person is Jason Collens-Noll, He works his ass off every summer just so he can go to school every year, never says no to a shift and only ever asks for 2 days off late in the summer so he can take his girlfriend someplace nice. The third is definitely my grandpa, 70 years old and still can’t sit still.

It was on this day last year that I got really depressed, cause it made me realize how much I miss my family, and how much school can really keep you apart from people. It made me feel so left out that my whole family was celebrating my dad and grandmothers birthday and I was all the way in lonely Toronto. 

This year especially has been the year that my dad has shown to me that he’s interested in my life. I know to some people these probably would just be a regular thing but to me it means the world to me. Earlier this year my dad called me, simply to say that he loves me. And at one point while I was home he told me Green Day was going to be in Toronto in January, I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE KNEW I LIKED GREEN DAY ! And well after the phone call I cried for a good ten minutes cause I missed him so much.

I love my dad, though some may question his parenting methods I’m glad he did things his way. He’s the best dad I could ever ask for.

Happy Birthday Dad. My smile for February 2nd goes to knowing that I have the greatest dad ever. Love you :).