Fatherlove - Keeping Fathers Connected

2001 Father of the Year Essay Contest

TANYA POLISHCHUK
SECOND PLACE WINNER
EIGHTH GRADE
School: Sacajawea High School
Teacher: Ms. Elizabeth Gregory
City: Federal Way

MY DADDY

What a difference forty-one years can make. It was 1986 when I was born. My daddy is 41 years older than I, but he is still a really great dad! I wouldn’t ever want to change him. Of course there are times he gets mad when we don’t obey, for it says in the Bible to obey your parents, but sometimes it’s hard to. Well anyway, my dad is a great father.

It was pretty hard for him in his life, for he has lost a wife from a heart attack, and his 4th child (first daughter) because of a really high temperature. But now he lives a happy life with a new wife, and he loves her and all his kids. I’m one of them!

My dad loves to have fun, and he loves to play with kids. He loves going to Ocean Shores in the summer and to the mountains in the winter. Once he went to Ocean Shores and my dad bought a picnic basket that he and my mom packed, and then set all the food on the blanket. The blanket was on the sand. All of a sudden the wind blew the sand and it went all over the food! But we ate it anyway because we were all hungry. It was pretty tasty.

My dad is really funny too because he always tries to entertain my friends when they come over. My dad is cool because sometimes he acts like he’s six, even though he is much, much older than that. But he will chase us around the house and he can run really fast! I raced with him once, and guess who won? Nope! You are wrong! I did not. He did!

Yes, he sure is strong for a 55 year-old. Once a woman (not my mom, even though she says it all the time) said that my dad is very handsome and that he looks younger than his age. It’s true because my dad loves to always be doing something. He’s never just sitting there bored. He cleans if it’s not clean, or does whatever is not done even though that makes him angry because I and my sisters and brothers are supposed to clean. But sometimes we do other things and he cleans and gets all mad. He’ll be washing the dishes and talk to himself. It’s kind of funny. I have asked who he is talking to before, and he has said, "Myself." That started me laughing because it’s just so funny!

My dad loves it when it’s clean. He loves flowers too. He has his own little garden in our yard and in the summer our front yare (and probably back also) has the most flowers in bloom in the neighborhood. He works for hours in the garden. We also have a lot of flowers in our house because my dad loves flowers! They are everywhere in the house and outside of the house.

I know there are a lot of memories of all the stuff we have done together, but if I were to mention all of them, then I don’t think this would ever end! I love my dad! He’s the best dad alive to me!