This post is sponsored by Michelob Ultra but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. Excited to be celebrating my Father with Michelob Ultra this Father’s Day.
When I was 15, I told my dad I hated him. I told all my friends and peers at school I hated him. By the end of the month, the whole town knew that I hated him.
See when you’re 15 and your dad tells you that you can’t have a boyfriend, can’t go to the movies with your friends, and takes your phone away at 9 PM when “free” minutes start…you can start to develop these types of feelings towards him.
We used to fight ALL THE TIME. I got into the habit of just being in a bad mood any time he was around. I never REALLY listened to anything he told me and realize now that in all those years that I was ignoring him, I could have learned so much from him.
He would wake my brother and me up really early during on our days off in the summer so that we could go and work for him. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I “grew up”, but I swore at that age that I would never be anything like my father.
I used to sneak out and go to Mexico. I started going when I was 14 after I made friends with some upperclassmen. I would sneak through my window at first, as the years went on I stopped caring and started just going out the front door as quietly as I could. This was my system for a good year and a half. So far, so good.
One night after a friend’s quince, I decided to go out again. I called a friend to pick me up and snuck out the front door. I received a call about 10 minutes later as we were reaching the port of entry…from my dad.
- “Where are you?”
- “Down the street at Lia’s.”
- “Ok, Let me see you walk back here.”
- “Fine.”
- “Ok, where are you?”
- “Going to Mexico.”
- “Turn around and come home, AHORITA!”
When my friend pulled up to drop me off, he decided it would be a good idea to get off and apologize. It was not a good idea. If anything, it made the situation worse. That night we had one of the longest and worst fights we had ever had. I decided I wanted to graduate as a junior that night. “The sooner I can get out of this town, the sooner I will be away from him.”
Years went by and I am sitting in my Civil Engineering 301 class. Even after convincing myself that I would never be ANYTHING like my father, I was sitting in a CE class. My dad is a civil engineer. After years and years of working summers and winter breaks at his office, this is where I ended up…following in his footsteps.
My first two years at college were rough. I was not prepared mentally or emotionally. I look back now and wish I would have stayed for my senior year and matured a little more before taking on living in Austin and going to college. I failed and got kicked out of the engineering program 5 semesters in a row. Every time I would go home and tell my parents, my heart would hurt for weeks from their look of sadness and disappointment.
My dad would always end his speech to me every time with, “Es que necesitas agarrar la onda.” “You need to start understanding what this is all for and about.” Each time he would try and convince me to move back home and take a year off while attending our local community college. I had a life in Austin, friends, and freedom. I was not ready to give all that up. The last time I heard this speech from my dad, he looked me straight in the eye and told me, “If this is what you want, you have to show us. You have to show the world and yourself that you really want it.”
I am not sure when I changed. But when I did life was a lot easier for me and for everyone else. As I grew up I started seeing that a lot of my dad’s advice had so much meaning. He raised us by teaching us to work hard for what we wanted. All those summers and winter breaks spent working with him were just a way to show us that nothing in life comes easy.
I learned so much from my dad without ever realizing it. I wish I would have listened a little more and tried a little harder to be a better daughter earlier in my life.
Now, we are probably the closest we have ever been. I am now a “daddy’s girl” and proud of it. I always look forward to seeing him, sitting down with a Michelob Ultra, and talking about life. He really is one of my role models and I will always look for his guidance in everything and anything I do.
Cheers to the best dad in the world who taught me the most important lesson I ever learned.
Through faith in God and hard work, anything you set your mind to is possible.
Gracias por todo lo que haces y sigues haciendo por nosotros. No hay suficientes palabras en el mundo que pueden decir cuanto te quiero y agradezco por todo.
Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! Everything you do will never go unnoticed!
Feliz Dia de los Padres!
Don’t know what to get for your dad this Father’s Day? Give your #ULTRADAD something from the Michelob ULTRA Beer Gear Shop. Michelob wants to make your dad feel super special this Father’s Day! You can find Michelob on their website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
How do you celebrate your dad?
What are your Father’s Day plans?
What is your favorite thing about your dad?
