My Dad

i always knew he was unlike any other dad. he’s intelligent, a leader, and a humble man of open-minded thoughts. he’s not one-minded like many asian dads who wants their kids to follow the traditional asian way to successful money. he thinks about more than what he wants. it’s hard to put into words how my dad is. simply put, he’s wise and understanding. qualities many people may claim of their fathers, but it’s a hard quality to come by. thinking indifferently, not like my dad, but of a random ahjussi, i was amazed at what he told me today. he knows what he wants but he also knows what others want. he doesnt lay it on me, but guides me to what he knows i can achieve through methods i can understand in and not get angry. he doesnt think of only him and your mistakes, but he think with a broad-sense. he knows he messes up and he admits it. like i said, it’s hard to say how special i am to have such a wise man as a father, but he understands that there are my culture and his culture and knows exactly how to approach the differences. he told me today, “i know you hate it when i tell you to do something. you shut me out. i realize if i continue to push you, i would be leading you farther away from what you are able to do. so i’m just here, waiting, because i know you’re going to one day wake up and realize what you need to do, how smart and talented you are and succeed beyond my expectations.”

it’s true. everything he said about me was true. im pretty self-centered. if i don’t wanna do it, i don’t. if you keep pushing me to do something that i have little to no interest in, i wont want to do it even more. im immature and stubborn. he told me my problem is that i cant think long term. all my goals and actions are short term. my instant happiness overrides my motivation for future happiness. if i wanna sleep, im not gunna study, im gunna sleep. it’s pretty fail. he said im talented. i have many qualities that will help me succeed in life. i learn fast, and i understand fast. but that’s where it ends. i don’t work to make it better or keep it in my head for a long period of time. so it’s lost over a short period of time. no experience gained. but he said there are moments when i catch on to something. and once i catch on to it, i dont let go and work harder than others and achieve greatness. i was a horrible runner, yet i ran in front of the lacrosse team second year. my first sat score was 1490. my final sat score was 1960. he said if i concentrate on something, i achieve greater than he ever expects of me. but the problem to it is that it’s rare that i ever catch onto something…. so he’s waiting. hoping i will make full use of my talents. listening to him telling me what he thinks of me was an incredible experience. im not sure if i’ll change or if i’ll fail at life, but one thing i know is that my dad is beyond other dads i’ve seen. he’s the one person that i can truely say i respect with all my heart.

he’s not perfect of course. he’s human, and there’s something called emotions. although he may fall off the track sometimes, i know where his heart is and i love him. that’s what he told me as well. and one day i hope i can become as wise and mature as he is. so my children can grow up just as blessed as i am. and i pray to God that i’ll never dissappoint my dad.