A father is someone who nurtures and works hard to provide for their children. He is someone who you’re supposed to turn to when you need help both physically and mentally. Your father gives you advice and teaches you about life, both the negative and positive side. He teaches you ethics and the quality of yourself.

My father is not the most perfect person you’ll meet on a personal level, but I still love, adore and look up to him. He is someone who comes out as a very happy person. He easily hides his emotions which can be harmful but growing up it was beneficial because he always taught us to smile even in hard times. Coming home from a long and difficult job, he always made time for us such as playing with us, and helping us forget our problems from school. He always tried to make time to take us out to the park which wasn’t much but he tried. There was never a day where we did not have food or a roof over our heads. He always worked hard, not just for himself but for us too. Every Valentine’s Day he would bring me and my siblings flowers or candy, even sometimes a simple card but it always made me happy. These details made me value myself, that I matter and that even if you might not have much you can always give.

My father taught me the values of being respectful and what it means to be a hard worker. He never graduated from high school but he always encouraged me to finish my education even when it is difficult sometimes. He always told me “Mira hija aunque no te gusta la escuela de todo modos tienes que echarle ganas para que tengas un buen futuro.” (Look daughter, Even if you don’t like school you still need to put in the effort so that you could have a good future.)

Seeing the struggles that both my parents went through and the opportunities that they gave me allowed me to reflect on each negative action that I do, “Is this something that will help me have a good future? Would this make my parents proud?”

This is why my father is important to me.