Father Daughter Relationship: Lessons I Learned From My Best Buddy, My Dad

Tomorrow is my dad’s 68th birthday. 

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that my family means EVERYTHING to me (even Matt knows it). I’d have to say that from a young age, I’ve always appreciated my family. And I definitely have my parents to thank for instilling that in me.

To give you a little background on our father daughter relationship, my dad is one of the best human beings I know. He’s VERY unique though. As much as he loves my family and his friends/their family, he is NOT the biggest people person;) He doesn’t like going to events/parties/out to dinner, he isn’t really into taking pictures, and he’s super impatient. But hey, we all have “those” qualities, don’t we? For every one of “those” qualities he has, he has 31938120380293 great ones about him.

My dad is caring. He loves my sister and I SO much, to the point where it’s annoying (in the best way possible). My dad is smart. One of the smartest guys I know. He always has an answer for every single question I have. And if he doesn’t, he’ll find it for me. My dad is my best buddy. Seriously. Ever since I was little, we have a saying every single night before bed or before he left for work in the morning: My dad: You my best buddy? Me: Yes. My Dad: I’m your best buddy.

It’s a silly little saying that might be meaningless to most people, but to me it means a lot and says everything about our father daughter relathionship.

My dad has taught me so much. I could actually cry thinking about the amazing impact he has on my life (ok, fine, you got m…I’m crying). He is my first love. My first golf buddy. The guy I’ll always dance to “My Girl” (by The Temptations) with. So today, I wanted to share some things my dad has taught me.

Things will always get better

It’s true. My family has had their fair share of ups and downs. But at the end of the day, things always work out. Things always get better. No matter what, my dad manages to put a smile on his face, even when the going gets tough. I’ve learned how to apply the “things always get better” mentality to so many different aspects: My relationships, my friendships, this blog, my life.

Your sister will always be there

My sister and I are six and a half years apart, so we didn’t really get along much when we were younger. She wasn’t the niiiicest to her annoying younger sister, and we honestly had nothing in common. Or so I thought. My dad (and my mom too) always told us “you are all each other will have when you’re older”, every single time we fought. Fast forward to our adult years (since I started college and forward), and my sister is my best friend. We have SO much in common, and it’s true: my sister always has my back.

Dress well

Most people get their love of clothes and shopping from their moms. Not me and my sister. I’ve never ONCE seen my dad wear a pair of jeans. Only suits, golf clothes, and cashmere sweaters. My dad always has had a good sense of style when it comes to business casual and business professional. I remember he loved shopping at Barneys. And he definitely instilled his shopping habits in my sister and I. If you couldn’t tell…I have a shopping problem.

Be professional

My father was in the Financial industry, so very different from what my sister and I do! He was the COO at JP Morgan Chase, and has had over 40 years of experience, so I think it’s safe to say he knows what he’s doing when it comes to being professional. My father has made me so confident and ensures me I can do ANYTHING I want to do. He knows how many skills I have, and how valuable I can be for a company. He is always the one to give me some input on my resume, helps me understand taxes (he also helped me get my LLC), and always reminds me that I have to continue to work as hard as I do.

“You’re too young”

My dad was never the typical dad when it came to boyfriends. He never gave me a hard time about having a boyfriend, inviting them over to our house, or anything like that. After said boyfriends and I broke up, he would voice his opinion about him, but never told me who I could and couldn’t date. But when I think about it, one of the biggest lessons I learned from him is that I don’t need to be in a rush to grow up. Sure, it was fine to have a boyfriend, but I was always “too young” to rush into anything. My dad always encouraged me to put myself first, school first, and now my career first.

Luckily, my dad is a big fan of Matt, so that’s all I could really ask for!

Save your money

My dad is always encouraging me to contribute more and more to my 401K. Although I’m always hesitant at the time, I know it’s going to pay off for me in the long run. So I happily oblige. He also knows about my shopping habits, so he’s forever on me about putting money in my savings account, adding more money to my brokerage account, and just stop buying things I don’t need;)

So dad, if you’re reading this, I LOVE YOU!!!! And HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY!

Love, your best buddy