Every morning when I wake up, I thank the Lord for all that he has done in my life ,and one of the many things that I am thankful for is my father. I’m appreciative of my father because when I look at the people whom I interact with on a daily basis, I realize that a lot of fathers are not present in their children’s lives.
People always ask me why am I the way I am ,and I proudly tell them that it is because my father raised me. My father’s name is Everette Lenard Johnson Sr. He is one of the greatest dads in the world. He disciplined me, provided for me and in spite of my imperfections, has always loved me.
As children, we dislike getting whippings or spankings from our parents. Growing up, I remember my father whipping me a lot. Honestly, I don’t think that I was a bad child, but my father saw that the things that I was doing would lead me down the wrong path.
For years I didn’t like my father’s methods because I just thought that he was being mean to me. After or before the whippings, he would give me a small lecture, explaining why he was so hard on me, but of course I didn’t listen.
A father’s main role is being the provider for his family. This doesn’t mean that you will get everything that you want, but he should make sure that all of your basic necessities are taken care. Although my father isn’t the richest man alive, he was always able to provide food, shelter, and clothing.
As children, we like to have nice things to show off to our friends. However, when I asked my father for nice things, he would usually refuse my requests because he couldn’t afford them. I always hated that. As a result I learned to hustle and get things on my own. When I got older, I realized that I really didn’t need a lot of those things. My father always gave me what I needed, even if he had to make sacrafices. I am thankful for the many sacrifices that he made for me and my family.
One of the most important things that I admire about my father is his loving nature. He is kind to everyone, even to those who don’t like him. He always says “I do the things I do because I love you and want you to succeed in life.”
Now that I am older, I understand my father better. Even when I mess up, I know that my father will always help me ,and I know that his love for me is the same type of love that I want to have for my kids one day.
Because my father was strict with me, most people are surprised that I have a good relationship with him. Actually, I think that our relationship is great because he was strict on me. Every Father’s Day, I ask my dad what he want ,and he always says, “Everette, I don’t want anything, and long as I have my family I am happy.”
I think I’m going to do something really special for him because he is truly a great father ,and I want to wish every father and grandfather a Happy Father’s Day.
Everette L. Johnson Jr. is a junior Kinesiology major from Jonesboro.