There are times that I compared my Papa to other dad who show their
love to their daughter verbally. My dad is the direct opposite. The love that he
showed to me was in the other way around. Every time I did something wrong in
his sight, I would directly get a punishment. Not just a light one, but sometimes
it led me to say curse words.
Back in my childhood days, my brother, sister and I used to wander
around the neighborhood. There are times that we couldn’t notice the time
because of having so much fun. When we arrived home, without a doubt my papa would
grabbed his belt and hit us. Followed that was the kneeling down in front of
the altar. We spent time there until he told us to stand up. Another was when he
caught me with a hand full of junk foods. His eyes widened with madness. He
would then take it and throw them somewhere. He would not give me any money
unless I promised not to buy one again. When I was a child, my family used to
go out. Once, in a restaurant, I insisted to eat ice cream before eating the
meal. My papa told me not to, for it will cause pain in my tummy. Well I was
still a child then, I insisted and cried. My papa, on his beast mode, pinched
me. Even as I grew up as a lady, his strictness never seize. But this time, he
will no longer get his belt nor pinched me. There are no physical punishment
involve anymore. His discipline now is through words. I could say that my papa
is a very concerned and conservative dad. There are some rules in our house
that involves dress code. Yeah it sounds crazy but it’s the truth. As a lady,
my papa said, I should not dress something provoking or something that would
show most of my flesh. No short shorts. No spaghetti-like sleeve shirts (even
if my mama allowed me to).
Even if my papa can be considered as one of the strictest dad in the
universe, I am proud and grateful to have him as my papa. Without him, I am not
as disciplined as I am now. Because of him, I learned not just to consider
myself, but also to be concerned of the things and people around me, especially
him and my mama. Now that I am in college, I always consider them when I am
making decisions. When I have to do things, I always consult them before doing
it. When I have to go somewhere for some important matters, I always texted
them where I am and who’s with me. They always remind me how to respect other
people and how to be humble. They taught me how to value the things that I have
and how to be thankful of having enough and how to treasure them. They always
reminded me that even though they can utter harsh words sometimes, they never
stop loving me. When the world turn its back on me, they will never do the
same. They never let me feel that I am alone. The love I have from my parents
is priceless. It made me realize not to look for somebody else to love meJ. They let me discover the world’s cruelty and let me learn
something about it. They let me enter the world of reality. They never stopped
watching the path that I am taking. Most of all is my relationship with the
Lord. That in everything that I will do, I should always pray for His guidance
and love.
