My Dad in 7 Paragraphs

Welcome to Limitless! 

Today, I’m grateful that I have a father who was present during my developmental years and who is still present in my life. 

One of the fondest childhood memories I have of my dad is from when I was about 5 years old. I tagged along with him to buy some bread that day and he carried me on his back all the way to and from the bread shop. That act, as simple as it may seem, is forever ingrained in my memory, and it reminds me of how affectionate my dad was and still is. He still rarely says “I love you”, but he definitely shows it. :)

My dad never flogged me, and I can remember him punishing me only once. There were lots of scolding, seizing, and corrections though. Hehe. I was a softie, so scolds could make me cry, you didn’t even need to cane me. Lol. I remember that he would always say “o fé té” which means you are about to pass your boundary as a note of warning. If my dad shouts at you once, you would rethink your whole life. Hehe. I wonder why he wasn’t as hard on me as he was on my brothers. Maybe they were just so stubborn?- Don’t tell them this. He was really firm though, and strict. So, I never really misbehaved. 

My dad made sure that he gave us the best education. I would watch him do everything within his power to pay our school fees. He would save up, be frugal with his spending, invest, diversify his income, and so on. He made such huge sacrifices to give us the best education within his capacity. He would tell me that instead of splurging his money on unnecessary things, he would rather use that money to cater for his children. That, my friend, is what I call an intentional father.

I really believe my dad is one of the reasons I did my best to make excellent grades. There was a time I had this tough exam coming up, and I was speaking to my dad. He immediately started to say how he knew that I would pass the exam so easily. I really laughed in my head because he sounded so sure. I sometimes felt like my dad believed in my intellectual abilities even more than I did. He was such a force that pushed me to always be the very best. 

He didn’t only voice his support, he would do everything to make sure I concentrate on reading during my exams. For instance, he would wash plates in my stead so I could focus on reading during my exams. I loved it so much because I really hated washing plates (lastborn duties), so it meant the world when he did it for me. He would also bring a pack of yoghurt drinks like Cway Nutrimilk to my boarding house during exams because according to him, I need to drink lots of fluids when I’m reading a lot. That was my dad. He would do his best to make sure I’m comfortable. 

The other day, I was thinking about how I do not want to be a wife that is covering her home alone. I don’t want to be the praying wife while my husband is sleeping away; my husband should be a priest leading our home. Both of us should be putting in the work. The foundation of this need for me, asides what scripture says, is my parents’ marriage. My dad was definitely the priest of our home. He was such a covering. 

My dad wasn’t an absentee who cared more about the church than his home. He definitely put his family before the church. It was God, family, then, the church. He was also a present dad that was very intentional about spending time with us. I’m grateful to have a Christlike and intentional dad. 

I really could go on and on. 

Though, we have all left you and mom in the house, we are grateful for the effort you poured into our formative years, dad. 

Thank you for the love and great sacrifices. Thank you for choosing our mum. That woman is the best mom. I could not have asked for better parents. I love you dad🤍. 

~ 

Thank you for reading. Till we meet again.