Dear Dad,
No dad is superman. You are no superman. You are very much human. Dads often act like they are immortal. They show their wards the ideal life and make their wards believe life is about the ideals.
Many dads propose very impossible task that they are incapable or were incapable of doing themselves during their growing years. They make their wards believe that they were eccentric when indeed they were not.
You know too that I am not superhuman. I am just me, trying to get through life the best way I can. Dad, I am not assuring that I can, when indeed I cannot. I want you to know I am just like anybody having strength and weaknesses and striving hard to be my best.
Many dads would love their wards to be like the Jonesses! The Jonesses are the Jonesses and I am myself. I am not trying to copy; I am creating my own original and altruistic personality.
You need to acknowledge the fact that I have weaknesses and strength; you should not try to make me match with another man's ideals. Help me find strength in my weaknesses, success in my failures, and laughter in my sorrows. Let me understand that dad is not perfect and I can get help from learning about your weaknesses.
When you show me that you are frail, I find a base upon which I can share my frail moments. I want to find the right platform upon which someone would understand me. When I know you have had trying, difficult moments and have managed to get through them, I can easily associate with you and know like you, I can come through mine.
Some dads are far away from their wards. They have a strained relationship dealing with their wards. Dealing with a dad who does not understand me could be very difficult. I need your understanding. I am aware that you have gone through what I will be having to battle with.
I want to learn from understanding that you had your though times too. The mistakes many dads have made is living with their wards like they were never once like them. It will be a mistake to think in that line because I know my expectations of you
Feel free to associate with me however challenging the present situation may be. Help me understand that good times do not happen every time. There would be good as well as bad times and you are not ashamed to share your dark moments with me. You would always get it back at you when there are daring times and these eases the communication line between us two.
Dad, help me learn from seeing you get through your challenges. Do not hide your fears. Feel free to share them. You are teaching me the fact that fears are inevitable in life but it is how it is managed that matters. I am watching you and I am learning too.
Everyone, no matter how strong they are have their frail moments. No one is too strong, no matter how experienced in life matters they are. Those frail moments are bound to come but what matters is how you deal with them. Remember that as a teacher, with a responsibility towards me, your student, you are to tutor me on how to deal with my frail moments and come out of them. Frail moments are necessities of life, making you stronger.
With love,
your son