I'm Sorry...and Thanks, Dad

There are some things in life that you just can't truly and fully appreciate until you've lived it yourself.  Like parenting.  Let me tell you, I had the BEST advice for parents before I had my own kids.  Like, some really deep, reasonable ideas that would've made everyone a better parent or every kid listen better.  For whatever reason, people who were ACTUALLY parents didn't seem to care or even want to listen to my fabulous parenting advice.  I thought they were ridiculous.  

And then I had kids.  Four of them in six years, to be exact.  And very quickly I realized how idiotic my thoughts and ideas and "solutions" all were.  I mean, they SOUNDED nice, but in reality, many of them were super impractical.  

Moving on...This father's day, I called and wished my dad a Happy Father's Day, and was sure to say "thank you" for all the sacrifices he made for me, especially as a high school soccer player.  Especially because I was a total bratty high schooler towards him half the time, and now that I have kids playing sports, I'm starting to realize just how much he did for me.  

And so, here's my whole "I'm sorry" and "thank you" list, dad, which I can only now write because I'm actually a mom with littles in sports and I actually get it all now...

Thank you for all the Friday's off you took from work to take me to tournaments.  Were those vacation days you used?  You must've really loved me to have used them to drive me near and far while I listened to Smash Mouth's All Star on repeat.  For miles at a time. With the windows down.  #bestmemories 

I'm sorry for the time I blamed you for booking my return flight for the wrong day.  Pretty sure I'm the one who clicked that button.   I was a teenager who was far too eager to book my own flight on our super slow dial-up internet and could not be bothered to listen to your advice along the way (because you were "old" and simply could NOT understand what was going on).  Thanks for letting me go on that trip anyway. 

I'm sorry for the times I yelled at you for getting us "lost" on the way to the hotel in another city and state.  I really cannot grasp how difficult it used to be reading maps or using Mapquest in its early days.  Thanks for taking me.  #yayforsiri

Thanks for allowing me to steal your car nearly every day in high school so I could be "cool" and not ride the bus to and from school and to and from soccer practices.  Thanks for that.  It was totally unnecessary, obviously, but so awesome. 

Thank you for all the time you spent watching me compete and for always cheering me on.  Thanks for not being one of those annoyingly obnoxious parents, but a cheer-them-all-on parent.  

I'm sorry I never realized how important your calm attitude was at home.  In a house full of three crazy yelling women, your calmness was annoying then, but appreciated now.  #workingtobecalmmyself

Thanks for being my friend.  Even when I was a dork.  Or rolled my eyes.  Or said that I hated you.  Or told you I thought you were the worst because you actually had rules (say what?!?!).  But always and forever my friend.  Thanks for being there, and supporting me, and forgiving my childish behaviors.  

I get it now, dad.  I get how fun it is to watch your kids compete.  I get how the sacrifice of time and money to watch your kids grow is totally worth it, even when they're unappreciative.  But my kids don't get it.  And they probably won't until they have kids and experience this all themselves.  

For now, that's it (love you, dad!).  Excuse me now while I go talk to the child who is currently "oh my gosh, mom"-ing me while she rolls her eyes at me because I said it's not snack time yet.  Because as we all know...that's means it's the end of the world.