I have dedicated posts to my mom and brother so far, so now it is my dad's turn. With Father's Day today, I want to dedicate this post to the guy that has taught me some of the most important things a daughter should know throughout life- both big and small. I am not shy to admit that I am a total Dad's girl. We are one in the same when it comes to certain aspects such as our obsession with grapes, weird humor, and the ability to basically read each other's minds. He knows me better than anyone I can think of! With that, I'd like to expand on some of the important things my dad has taught me, and some of our interesting memories!
1. Sports
I will go ahead and start with a typical "dad thing." My dad is a huge hockey guy, and while he only got 1/2 of the Casey kids to try it out (I didn't want to wear the "big pants"), he fully supported the sports that we wanted to do. While my mom also contributed to this, my dad was always the one out in the backyard with me and Christopher tossing around a baseball, and taking us to open skating ever since we basically learned to walk. I did not get my gymnastics skills from him that is for sure, but I did learn good sportsmanship, what it takes to be an athlete, and learned my love of the game from him. Growing up with a dad who is into sports has made me learn the lingo for baseball, basketball, and hockey games; which really comes in handy sometimes! One of my favorite things to do with my dad to this day is go skating with him, as he literally skates circles around me.
2. School skills
For those who know me, know that math is not my strongest subject. The problems that always tripped me up were those word problems using apples and oranges, or marbles or, pieces of pie (you all know exactly what I am talking about). Because of this, I would star the math problems I needed help from dad with, and after dinner he would always have me pull up a chair next to him and help me through them, often with many tears shed in the process. I also remember my dad helping me study for my weekly spelling tests, which did not involve any tears thank goodness. After I would ace the practice test, he would draw a little doodle guy on a gymnastics bar that has become his trademark over the years. Another honorable mention dates back to the days where he would help me get ready for bed at night, and I would tell him the new spanish word I learned from watching Dora the Explorer that day. He would be so proud of me, so this remained a tradition until I started to brush my own teeth! My parents gave me the option to take harder classes throughout elementary, middle, and high school, and I always did because I knew that they would help me and guide me the whole way. While I no longer seek my dad for help with my psychology research because that would not be the best outcome, I do turn to him for input on what classes and schedule would be the best for me. He plays a big part into why I have had the academic successes I've earned in my career as a student.
3. A sense of humor
Goofy is a good way to describe me and my dad when we are paired together. I am almost positive that we embarrass the rest of the family because we don't care that the people at the grocery store are staring at us for throwing around a cantaloupe, or doing odd dances for no reason at all in public. He is not afraid to embarrass himself, which is something I have picked up on as well. I love to take snapchats of him, and he willingly puts himself in front of the camera doing something strange just for my enjoyment. I can always count on him to photo bomb. My dad and I are the class clowns of the family without a doubt. We share a secret language by exchanging weird faces at each other, talking in stupid voices, make up songs, use cheesy puns, make immature snickers about something, and have endless inside jokes. Growing up, I had a strict bed time routine that came to be tradition. I had stuffed animals of the Veggie Tales characters, and every night he would hide them somewhere in my room before I went to bed. After that, he would give me 3 tries to shoot a basket on my over the door hoop, but if I didn't make it, I would have to go to bed. Before he would leave my room, he would wind up my ballerina music box, and mimic the ballerina as he turned off the light and danced out of my room. It made me laugh every time, and I never went to bed unhappy. I have come to learn that being able to lighten up every once in a while really adds so much more to my days, and he always knows how to cheer me up with a dad joke when I need it.
4. Good advice
Even though my dad and I are never serious around each other about 85% of the time, the other 15% is filled with good advice, opinions, and lessons. My dad has given me simple, yet effective advice that I have held onto over the years and live by. One of the lines he has always told me and my brother is "if it is not fun anymore, don't do it." This has helped me make some big decisions where I don't want to let anyone down, or myself down, and gives me the assurance that life isn't supposed to be filled with things that I don't want to do! It seems simple, and common sense, but a lot of people continue to participate in activities or commitments because they think they have to, or for the wrong reasons. Other advice he has given me over the years is "knees bent, feet apart" when skating, "bat back" in softball, and "include a balance of protein, fats and carbs in every meal." Lastly, my personal favorite: "don't eat more than one Fiber One bar at once."
5. Good handyman
When I mean good handyman, I am referring to the fact that I have learned he is a good handyman, not that I have learned any skills from him. Starting off as an engineering major, I can tell he picked up a couple of things along the way. Being an IT Leader now, he is the tech guy that I always go to when I have a wi-fi problem, laptop problem, or even don't know how to turn the TV on because there's so many darn remotes these days. Over the years he has built me and my brother a go-cart, built me a gymnastics bar in the basement, built a new box for the mailbox I crashed into, built a batting cage contraption, built shelves, and has fixed many many appliances and tackled random tasks around the house. He is also a pro at yard work which is why our grass is greener than green, our flower garden smells like chocolate from cocoa beans, and all of our plants are still alive. If I were given any of these tasks, the go-cart probably would be a no-go-cart, and my bar would have killed me before I got the chance to break the appliances I don't know how to fix, and kill that plants. Being good with tools is a total dad thing, and in this case, he fulfills that stereotype very well.
6. Patience
This also falls under the category of what I have learned my dad has that I do not. I admire the patience he has, and I wish I could have at least an ounce of it from him. He has been to all of my gymnastics meets, and took pictures frame by frame for every event because he knew I liked to look at my form piece by piece. He did this from my years of boring compulsory, to optionals, many state meets, regionals, and high school gymnastics. About a span of 9 years! Being a dad also means having to wait on the girls of the family to get ready, and he never complains even though we probably look the same as we did before the extra 5 minutes of "prepping." My dad also has patience with himself. A good of example of this is when he took on coaching basketball for my brother's team, yet he missed pretty much every free throw. Basketball was never a sport he focused on, but he stuck with it even when all the middle school aged boys were making fun of him. It's the little things that show how much patience he has such as asking where we want to go eat and "I don't care" being the answer, yet everything he mentions we turn down. He also still is patient with me when I am pulling up the rear whenever we road bike (and back when I was little as seen above). I used to ride in a trailer attached to his bike, and would press the sides against the wheel to make it harder on him. If I were him, I would have blown my top in some situations!
7. Life lessons
Being a parent comes with the responsibility of teaching the do's and don'ts of life. One of my clearest memories from my childhood is "the steps." This was my dad's method of putting my brother and me in a time out when we were quarreling with each other, usually about the outcome of our board game. He would explain why we were being sent to the steps, then my brother would get one side of the steps, and I would get the other. He would then set the microwave timer for about 5 minutes, but it felt like eternity. At the end, we had to apologize to each other. This method must have worked because my brother and I get along so well, and also taught us what good manners looked like. Some others that apply to the older versions of ourselves are to never be afraid to be yourself, take the road less traveled even though it may be challenging at times, speak up for yourself, and stay true to your values. My dad practices what he preaches, which is why I strive to follow the lessons he has taught us because I always want to make him proud.
8. Expectations
Watching my parents' relationship growing up, it has taught me how a woman should be treated, and what expectations I should have for myself. My dad goes the extra mile to make my mom feel special, and make sure our family is taken care of. I admire the way my dad still gets my mom roses, writes her thoughtful notes, and still tries to shop for her even though she returns about half the stuff he buys. He still opens doors for her, takes her to dinner, vacations, and never forgets to tell her goodbye before work in the morning. He has shown me how I should be treated, and that I shouldn't settle for any expectations lower than what I deserve. My dad sets the bar high, which has led me to setting the bar high, and to find someone that treats me just as well as he treats my mom. I hope to find someone that is as ambitious, responsible, caring, compromising, patient, and respectful as my dad.
9. Steps to success
If there is one thing I believe my dad excels at, it is knowing the ways to be successful. He does this through hard work, meeting new people through networking, going the extra mile, and being confident. He leaves me in awe with how hard he works by waking up at 5 every day to get to work in Plymouth on time, and only takes days off for things like moving me out of college, or my brother. All of these things are aspects that I have come to learn myself, except when I take a personal day in the future, it's going to be a full out Lauren day. One skill I have started to develop is networking through LinkedIn, meeting new people, and getting better at my communication. It is starting to lead me to awesome, new opportunities. I am grateful that my dad knows how to do this so well, and showed me the ropes even when I didn't believe in the process at first. He has been a great example of how hard work pays off, and is the reason why I continue to work hard in whatever I pursue. Lastly, he has shown me how important it is to have confidence in myself. This has helped me in both gymnastics, school, and business. He has shown me that I am capable of whatever I have set as a goal in my mind, and to never underestimate myself. When they say "confidence is key," it really is!
10. I will always be Dad's little girl
Last but not least, I have learned that I will always be "daddy's little girl" no matter how old. One of my favorite places to be when I was little was sitting on my dad's lap as he bounced me up and down on his knee. While he may not be able to do that anymore, as well as carry me up to bed when I fall asleep on the couch, or carry me when me feet get tired, it is the memories of that, that keep that dependence on my dad alive. There is a special bond between a dad and daughter that can't be replicated, and it is one I cherish. I will never be too old for help from my dad, a big bear hug, or even to be tucked in at night. We still have the tradition of reading our favorite childhood picture book on the last night of summer before we start school, and we don't plan on stopping it any time soon. There is nothing wrong with wanting to hold onto those moments and memories for as long as you can.
There are just some things that you learn from your dad, that can't be learned from mom, and vice versa. I am blessed to have a dad that is always here for me, looks out for me, wants the best for me, wants me to be happy, safe, and loved. My dad is the most solid guy that I know, and thankfully has not fallen victim to the dad bod, dad jeans, and white New Balance shoes yet. He is a youngster at heart with his red interior zippy sports car, knowledge of the latest technology, passion for road biking, and participation in a league for his one true love: hockey. As my middle school self would say, he is the cool dad. I don't take Father's Day lightly because he deserves a full 24 hours of celebrating all that he has done for me these last 19 years. He has been there for all the milestones, and I can't wait for the milestones, moments, and mortifying public embarrassment to come.
Sorry Dad, I had to include at least one ugly picture of "the face." Happy Father's Day :)
~Lauren