A daughter's first love

They say that a daughter's first love is her father because he is who shows her how she is to be appreciated and loved by the male of the species.

I know in my soul that I was born to be a daddy's girl, wanting to be like him with all my heart and to find someone like him to love as i grew older. My dad was special to not just me growing up, but to the whole family even though he is the youngest of all his siblings. I used to ask stories about my daddy cause i wanted to know more about him as a child and a person.

I remember asking my grandmother as a child, "what was my daddy like?" and hearing stories of how upon hearing that he was going to be a father ( despite having broken up with my mum) he made sure that he could take care of his upcoming responsibilities. How he would help his older siblings and wouldn't take no crap from most people.

Some of my favorite stories about my dad were how he and my late grandfather would address each other as daddy and how he learned to drive at a young age. Other's were how my daddy thought he was a lady's man in school ( that's were i get my flirting from) or how he remember things like seeing the black panther's (my dad grew up in Oakland,Ca same as me).

As I grew up and starting seeing my dad through more mature eyes as teen then later as an adult, I had questions that seemed to always be unanswered or brushed off with unsatisfactory answers but i was still a daddy's girl. During this time in my life, I retreated from my daddy's girl stature and went my own path.

I learned not all father's and daughters have the same kind of relationship that I had and that I was lucky. During this time, the stories I had been told as a child came to mind and I started seeing them with an adult eye.

When I married and had my own daughters I realized that my girls would never be daddy's girls because the man I chose just wasn't that type.... and also that I was still very much a daddy's girl. My girls and my son are momma's girls which i am very much proud of.

Now ,as a parent myself I notice that a lot of my dad's teachings about how to love myself and how to love my children are tempered with time and and love. As an adult, I see the many facets of my dad that age and experience has led me to know and respect.

He is and always has been a wonderful dad, husband, uncle, with faults of course because no one is perfect. Outside of the family circle, he is a pillar of the community and of the church helping to do what he can for the generations to come. My dad has taught and is still teaching me that you are never to old to learn new things, try new things, and what the meaning of patience is as we grow older.

Now I'm watching him be the best grandpa that my children can and will always have. Im grateful to have him help raise my son, showing him what to takes to be a man,teaching him about protecting his sisters (even though they are both older than him), me and even his grandmother. The lessons that my dad teaches all of us always inspires my inner spirit and helps me remain the daddy's girl that i am.