Lessons My Dad Taught Me

With Father's Day just a few days away, it only makes sense I share some of the important lessons this wonderful man has taught me. I could go on and on, but here are the top 6. Enjoy!

Nothing good happens after midnight. I heard this phrase countless times throughout high school and although I never would've admitted that he was right at the time, my dad was absolutely right. After midnight is typically when you start making bad decisions, having more drinks than you should have and doing things you didn't plan on doing. You win on this one, dad. You win.

You are the company you keep. My dad has always had a strong opinion of our friendships. Anytime we got into trouble, while he made sure we took responsibility for getting ourselves into that situation, he would always make sure we considered what kind of influence our friends had on us. As I got older, I started to understand this point of view a little more and it's something I remind myself of to this day. Recently, I've needed to take a step back and evaluate some of my friendships and the impact they were having on my life. Even in this situation, I go back to high school when I would hear my dad lecturing me about my friendships and the impact these people had on me. He was absolutely right.

"Excuses are like assholes. Everyone has one and they all stink." I'll be the first to admit there is probably a more eloquent way to put this, but I've heard my dad say this countless times. He is the reason why I try to own up to my faults and mistakes rather than placing blame on things out of my control. He is the reason why I don't have patience for people who makes excuses all the time.

Don't sugarcoat anything. If people don't like what you have to say, that is their problem, not yours. We tease my dad a lot because he has the gift of "telling it like it is." He doesn't mean to be harsh, but he is honest, up front and isn't afraid of saying things people don't want to hear. He always says he "doesn't sugarcoat anything" and has taught me to speak my mind, to stand up for myself and to share my opinion, no matter how unpopular it might be. 

Family comes first. I've mentioned before that it's my father's lifelong dream to build a family compound for all of us and our future families to live on. I know this sounds silly, but that is my dad. He would give anything to have us all together all the time. We are all close and I consider my siblings my very best friends. He taught us to stick together, to be there for each other and to appreciate each other. We have him to thank for teaching us that family is most important.

Loyalty. My father is a die hard Boston sports fan. If you know anything about the history of the Boston Red Sox, you know being a fan requires loyalty. As a teenager, my dad sold hot dogs at Gate A of Fenway Park. Why? Just so he could see the games. He could go on and on about the many heartbreaking moments he's endured as a Red Sox fan, but it never fails. After a loss or a not-so-great season, he never misses the next game. I know he will be so proud of me for writing about sports on this super girly, rainbows and sunshine blog of mine, but the truth is, his loyalty goes so far beyond sports. He passed that trait along to me and my siblings, too. Thanks to him we know how to stand by our teams, our family, our friends and our significant others no matter what happens.

I'm 27-years-old and I still call my dad regularly asking for advice. I also don't see this stopping anytime soon and I'm perfectly happy with that. Whether it's roommate issues, career questions, car problems or me needing him to help with something at my house, I can always count on his sound advice, his support and his love.

Thanks, Dad for shaping me into the person I've become. Happy Father's Day!