When I was younger, I used to be happy the few times you did come around. I was blind to
the fact that you didn’t act how a real dad is supposed to act. As I got older and more critical
about your whereabouts you started saying that you loved me in that really dramatic way
to try to emphasize your love or whatever. But there was one instance where I just couldn’t
say it back. The words were stuck behind my teeth and my small forced grin. While I hoped
that my reluctance didn’t stand out to you, I finally took a deep breath and rushed out an
Iloveyoutoo, knowing I didn’t mean it.
Then your visits became more spaced out and you stopped returning my calls. When I was
in your area and tried to make an effort to hangout, not because I wanted to but because I
thought it would be the nice thing to do, you were suddenly nowhere to be found. The
unreciprocated effort soon lead me to not only me giving up to trying to see you but also a
myriad of negative thoughts about you.
Sadness- I look around me and see many of my peers with fathers that care enough about
them to protect them in any situation. Why have I felt the most unsafe around you?
Anger- How do you wake up each day knowing your daughter is hours away from you
struggling not only financially but mentally because of all of the weight that is on her
during this time? Why aren't you there to support me?
Confusion- I wondered what it was that was so much more invigorating and fascinating
that you couldn’t take time to see your one and only daughter. Was I truly that insignificant
to you?
Despite all of the problems I encountered with you that are too hard to even think about,
and the despite the many emotions you’ve made me feel, I still thank you.
Thank you for shaping my perspective on how much single mothers can accomplish.
Thank you for exposing me to the truth of how men can be.
Thank you for teaching me that just because you start life off in a good place doesn't mean
you end up in one.
From you I know how to navigate my life so I can live the best life that I can, and I’m not
sorry that you won't be apart of it.
This piece was written very well. I thought this was very eyeopening to those of us that do have both of our parents in our life and how sometimes we can act ungrateful towards either one of our parents when there are people out there who don't have one or both of their parents around. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAriyan, I absolutely loved your piece. It was so raw and honest about your feelings toward your father, but it showed how you're so much stronger than your circumstances. Good job
ReplyDeleteThis piece is so empowering! I love how you discussed the struggles you have endured, but then turned it into a positive thing. Especially your example of the strength of single mothers! I am so sorry that you have had to go through many hardships, but I really admire how you have used those hardships to turn it into strength and shape your life! Great piece overall!!
ReplyDelete-Gabbie B.
I admire you for focusing on what good came from the situation rather than the bad. You seem very determined and independent based on this piece. Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteI am awe inspired by what you have written here. It is amazing to see all that you have struggled through in your life and still turned out to be a beautiful, incredibly smart, and confident woman. Major props to you!
ReplyDeleteThis piece really impacts me. I struggle with my relationship with my father due to the fact that he treats my mother very poorly. I've been consumed with anger and bitterness that I didn't consider the other aspect of our relationship; the good. The way you thanked him for allowing you to realize how strong women are truly gives me a new light. Thank you for allowing us to read this piece!
ReplyDeleteWow as much as I feel sorry for you, I think you should know that I pretty much feel the same way about my dad, so you are not alone. It really shows how much of the bigger person you have grown to be by thanking him at the end. That's what we should always be able to do, find the optimism in every negative situation. Loved this, thank you for sharing! --Megan T
ReplyDeleteWow. This piece was so emotion filled; and, it really made me remember how lucky I am to have a father that is always here for me. I really liked how the submission was structured in a "list-like" format. It helped show how the absence of a parent could affect a child.
ReplyDeleteWow. This piece is amazing. I really admire your strength and how you were able to transform the negativity in your life into something positive. Wonderful piece, great job!
ReplyDeleteAriyan, this piece is very powerful to how you found personal growth from experiencing this struggle with a single-parent, and the strength that resulted from your insights and various trials. Amazing work!
ReplyDeleteWow this piece has me moved, Ariyan. I love how you mentioned the struggles you took on in your life and still continued to come off as a strong young woman. Your mother seems so independent and hardworking and I respect both of you for shaping your lives into such a powerful thing. Great work on the piece!
ReplyDeleteAriyan! This was a really really good piece Thank you for getting so personal. I can relate to this in sooooo many ways, your'e not alone in any of it just know that. I like how in this piece you expressed all the emoitions that you feel and then in the end say how you thank him for it.. Great PIece!!
ReplyDeleteI think one of the many reasons why you are so strong is because you've learned to learn from anything that happens to you, good or bad. I admire your ability to endure the hardship and accept you for who you are and not let anyone get in your way. Great job!
ReplyDelete-Lisa Ryu
Although it seems like a very difficult position to be put in growing up rather then brood on it it seems like you've gotten stronger from it as a person and I commend you for that.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a beautiful piece because I know a lot of people have to go through those situations and even people who are facing them now, This is very admiring Great job !
ReplyDelete-Melanie Salazar
Powerful piece and relatable to many people as well. There are so may people in the world who have lost connection with one or both of their parents, say after a divorce. Many people always see the negative side of things and complain on why these kinds of things are happening to them. But, your piece shows how an individual undergoing these hardships can look at the experience as a learning experience and one that can end in a peaceful understanding of the situation. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe honesty and emotion in your piece is so powerful, showing how these feelings can influence a person to have the wish to become a better/stronger person not defined by their situation. Keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeleteI love this, you are so powerful. The life you are living is only going to get better as time goes on and you will reach the maximum level of happiness and love! Ariyan, you are the best. I am so happy you are growing.
ReplyDeleteYour piece is so beautiful. I think that putting all your emotions into how you feel towards your father is what made this so strong. I can't even imagine what it's like but I absolutely think you you are such a strong person and have overcome so much. Good job! - Sophia Cordura
ReplyDeleteWow, what a wonderful piece! I love how you explained all of the emotion from sadness to anger to confusion giving the reader a variety of tones. I also like how your piece ends with "thank you"'s because despite of the absence of your father figure you still found a way to find the good in your situation and in a way appreciate him for his absence. Good job. Empowering.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a wonderful piece! I love how you explained all of the emotion from sadness to anger to confusion giving the reader a variety of tones. I also like how your piece ends with "thank you"'s because despite of the absence of your father figure you still found a way to find the good in your situation and in a way appreciate him for his absence. Good job. Empowering.
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome how you were able to turn a negative aspect of your life and turn it in to a positive. I also enjoyed your no holds barred style of expressing your emotions toward your father. Sometimes you have to let go of the weak people in your life to make yourself stronger. Keep moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI am very much intrigued by your personal narrative, because I feel like this really connects to many people on different levels and perspectives. I am glad that you acquire the strength that you have, because it's not very easy for humans to cope with all the obstacles they face in life. Sometimes we may pull of as being strong, but we always have that point of weakness within us. Thank you for sharing you story with us because now I am aware that I'm not the only one that struggles with hardships.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was amazing. You clearly conveyed how your emotions and feelings evolved as you got older, and being in the same situation I was able to easily relate with that feeling of only caring because it seemed like the right thing, to not caring at all.
ReplyDeleteThis is an absolutely amazing piece. I am happy that you were able to gather strength and courage from a negative aspect of your life. You can only get stronger. Great Job!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great piece, I loved how this was written. Very strong sense of emotion and understanding is within the piece. Good job!
ReplyDelete-Leezeth De Los Reyes
I love how you separated the different emotions you felt and explained how you felt towards your father. Also I love how you called men out on their selfishness because we all know that men can be terrible. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis piece is very powerful and gives off a very strong viewpoint about the lack of commitment humans have and how we learn from the actions of other people. This is beautifully written and full of emotion.
ReplyDeleteI really love how you chose such a personal topic to write about because it's topics like these that people do not discuss enough, especially those suffering through it. I really love how you rawly expressed your emotions, it was very engaging and nice to read. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe way you expressed this piece was through true genuine feelings which gave this a very powerful tone overall. It's very inspiring to be able to see someone go through a struggle in their early life and pull optimistic views from it in the end.
ReplyDeleteThis is a powerful piece that I can rate to. I empathize with your experience with your father and you are a strong girl for seeing the light within the dark feelings you have. This piece is very well written and express your emotions very clearly. Thank you for sharing your story. Stay Strong.
ReplyDeleteYour personal narrative made me see how strong you are and how you keep fighting and not holding back on fervently expressing your feelings. Stay positive girl.
ReplyDeleteThis piece showed so much emotion and you did a great job expressing how you feel. Despite the situation you show how mature and strong you are. Good job and stay strong!
ReplyDeleteThis piece showed so much emotion and you did a great job expressing how you feel. Despite the situation you show how mature and strong you are. Good job and stay strong!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your perspective of this event. I admire the way you overcame this obstacle and grew so much from it. You took something difficult and transformed it into a point of empowerment. This piece is hopeful and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is very interesting to read and very well organized. It has a very mature tone to accompany a mature subject, which works very well in this case. I personally cannot relate to this piece because I have grown up with my father in my life, but I really enjoy getting a glimpse into your thoughts when it comes to growing up with only a mother figure. This makes me feel more grateful for having my father in my life and having his support in everything I do. I also enjoy how you took inspiration from this whole situation. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer. I'm glad you can take the feeling gracious from my piece and that was exactly my intention. I think people with filly support from both parents, or even more (like grandparents, extended family members, etc) should be thankful for that support and not take it for granted.
DeleteThis piece is so powerful, I'd like to applaud you for writing about something so personal, it really takes a strong mind to do so. Your style was really genius, it definitely stood out to me because it seemed different like your introduction of "confusion" and it all holds such strong emotions that it left me in awe, great piece!
ReplyDeleteI loved that you used a personal piece. More specifically how you explained the emotions of how you felt and how it shaped you today. I'm happy that you know how to better yourself out a sucky situation.
ReplyDelete- Sereenah Soare
Just wow! It is like you took the words right out of my mouth with every single feeling and questions you had on why your father was not there. I absolutely love the diction you used and i as well can relate to this for seeing how strong of a woman my mother became growing up with a single parent of two.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Celeste. I'm really glad you can relate and I initially chose to write about this topic because of how hard it is to find people in the same position as me. Reading these comments has opened my mind to the reality that lots of other students live in single parent households or have special family circumstances but they never really are talked about or brought to our attention. Thank you again for your comment.
DeleteJust wow! It is like you took the words right out of my mouth with every single feeling and questions you had on why your father was not there. I absolutely love the diction you used and i as well can relate to this for seeing how strong of a woman my mother became growing up with a single parent of two.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very intense, and reminds me a lot of my relationship with my father. I hope that all is well with your family now, and would also like to thank you for writing.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was very emotional. I was able to feel all the emotions that you were describing and i find it amazing how you can talk so openly about a situation that is so personal and express your feelings about it and that shows how strong you've gotten over time and that's really good. Keep up the good work! I enjoyed this piece a lot.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, this was a very strong and emotional piece! I enjoyed it so much, mainly because of the fact that you stuck to your word and didn't pull your punches. A lot of opinionated works really save the readers feelings by sugar coating it. Now that's fine, but I did really enjoy the honesty and truth
ReplyDeleteThis was a very powerful read. I know that things that are so close to one's heart are often difficult to talk about, and I truly applaud your ability to come out and talk about this. Your transition between ignorance, to questioning, to resentment, and the plethora of other feelings really made the realization of how hard this reality is. I admire your growth however, and I really liked your last few lines. Good job.
ReplyDeletePowerful piece, Despite difficulty and struggle, you do not give up, and find a way to make the most of it. Very well written.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a sad story. Without parental support it is hard to have confidence in yourself. We used to be so close and drifted apart, that is my fault, know that i am always here for you, I honestly am. I hope one day that you two can reconnect. I am happy to see be strong and make a bad thing into something that made you so much stronger.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ashley for commenting on my piece and recognizing many of the things I've grown from. Don't blame yourself for us drifting apart, it's natural for some friendships to not hold on, especially in high school and that's okay. I really appreciate you being here for me still after all this time.
DeleteI loved this piece so much I read it more than once! I connected with this piece so much I know what you mean and how you feel. I especially love the part where you list the emotions you are feeling and go into depth with why you feel that way. I feel like this piece shows just how strong you as a person are and how independent you are as well. Thank you for sharing your story
ReplyDeleteThe raw emotion within your piece is so moving. I am a firm believer in the fact that no one will truly understand what they haven't experienced. But it is without a doubt that sharing our experiences may one day lead to the betterment of the human race as a whole and I can honestly say that your words will stay with me for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent piece, and is so real and genuine. I am glad that through everything, you have found inner strength to push through. Stay strong.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Lee
I really liked reading this story. The emotional impact that is shown makes the piece even better , well done!
ReplyDeleteThis was so powerful and interesting to read. It was a breath of fresh air because I don't read about this too often. Extremely well written.
ReplyDelete-Andy Burgos
This was so heartbreaking but at the same time so inspiring. Looking at you I would never have thought you were going through so much. You are so strong and I love how you turned a negative into a positive at the end. Great mod Ariyan!
ReplyDeleteI love you expressed your real feelings about your dad in this piece. You are so strong. Great job. -karina l
ReplyDelete