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Eight Ways My Father Has Prepared Me to Be a Good Father
This homage is belated. Sorry, pops! Still, the lessons my father taught me remain timeless.
When I think about what I will be like as a father, I can’t help but reflect on the ways my father has impacted me.
I find our relationship trajectory somewhat typical. As a child, I saw him as superman and always wanted to be around him. As a teen, I saw him as an annoying buzzkill, obviously not wanting to be near him. As an adult, I see him in the most fully realized fashion: a flawed individual, who, despite them, is unequivocally intent on creating a positive impact in everyone’s life.
These lessons are part of his positive impact on me.
Turning weaknesses into strengths
Before any of my dad’s children’s were thought of he made a decision that would profoundly affect our lives and many others.
His father, my grandfather, was an objectively bad parent. He murdered my grandma when my dad was only two, spending the rest of his life in and out of jail while leeching off people. While some men might use this as an excuse to become a subpar parent themselves, my dad took the optimistic route. He realized his dad offered him a blueprint. My dad examined every negative impact his father had on him and ensured he…