3 Great Dads

With Father's Day coming up this weekend, I wanted to write about the three great dads in my life. 

The first is my father. He's one tough guy--very stubborn and expects nothing but the absolute best. In a way, this made life difficult growing up, but mostly, I am who I am today because of my dad being so tough on me (and on my siblings as well). I wouldn't change it for anything. He's motivated me to always strive to create a better me, so the drive I have to succeed comes in large part because of him. My dad is also very hard-working. He was orphaned from the time he was just a little boy living in Laos. He's always had to work and fend for himself. As a young teenager, he became a soldier. He started out as a kitchen cook and worked diligently, eventually moving through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel who commanded hundreds of soldiers. What my dad has achieved in his life so far is remarkable, and I look to him to know that whatever situation life throws at you, you can always make it better. Hard work and determination do pay off. I learned that from him. 

The second dad I know is my father-in-law, who was the complete opposite of my real dad. My father-in-law was one of the most loving, fun, and personable men--rare traits for someone of the older Hmong men generation, most of whom are very serious and stoic. My father-in-law loved talking, laughing, and meeting people. He rarely ever got mad and rarely ever yelled at anyone. Because I married young, my father-in-law in many ways served as much of a father-figure to me as my real dad did. It's been seven years since my father-in-law passed away from cancer, but there are still many days in which I'm reminded of him and his gentle ways.

The third dad is my husband. He's just like his dad, very loving and calm. My husband is, in all honesty, one of the best fathers I know. He spends time with our girls and really takes care of them (everything from bathing them, shopping for clothes, cooking for them, and more). Anybody who looks at him and sees how he interacts with our kids knows that he loves them a great deal. It's that obvious. I'm so thankful that I married him, even though we were young at the time and had no idea what the hell we were doing back then. It must be luck!

Cheers to the three great dads in my life, and to all dads out there!