A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day #Families#adult family dynamics#adult parent/child relationships#offbeat papas Posted Jun 10 2019 Guest post by Heather Sexton Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Vive la difference when it comes to parentingPhoto by Blake Barlow A little about my dad. My dad is conservative by nature, a republican through and through. He's a disabled coal miner who spent his life in the same town he was born in. He, up until recently, lived in the same house he built with his own hands when he was young. My dad worked hard every day of his life and sacrificed his time and body to provide. He is an example of hard work and persistence. Related Post Resources for fathers-to-be that aren't patronizing Are there resources for fathers-to-be that aren't weirdly gendered or patronizing? My husband isn't an idiot and would love more information than "when can my... Read more Now, by contrast, let me tell you about his daughter. She's a very liberal; an activist and bleeding heart kind of girl who wears her emotions on her sleeve; can't sit still for very long; had more jobs than possible to count and, who just a few years ago, told her dad that she was in love with a woman. If I sat down and thought about it, I would need fingers and toes to count the number of times I have moved, lived in another city, or decided to change careers. What do you do if you are like my dad and end up with a daughter who is about as opposite as it gets? Well, if you are anything half as amazing as my dad, you just love her. You don't try to change her, you don't try to understand her, you just love her. That's it. Fathers, you should take a lesson from my dad. This is how you love your children and even though I am quickly approaching mid-30s, I will always be a daddy's girl. I will always need my dad. I always know, no matter what I do, what happens in my life, or where I end up, I am always his little girl. That kind of love, that unconditional kind is hard to find. So, on your birthday, I wanted to say thank you, dad, for never needing me to be anything other than who I am. You taught me how to work hard, love the outdoors, how to be kind, and how to love. You are exactly the man I want my boys to be. I love you and so happy I get to tell you Happy Birthday another year. I hope it's the best one yet. Related Post I'm a father and I want to talk about parenting with depression I'm sure other parents have gone through this, and it's not a topic we talk about a lot. Postpartum depression has gotten a lot of press in recent years (as… Read More Related Post Priorities change when husbands become fathers When you're falling in love, you have a very important job. You're choosing your mate for life, and you don't want to mess it up. You're looking for someone who..... Read More Related Post How I made peace with the fact that I will never make my father happy Realizing that I will never make my father happy was a very momentous revelation. And while I'm sure you're all very happy for me, I couldn't objectively understand the pressing… Read More Reporter Name * Reporter Email * Original text Enter the original text here. Edited text* Enter your suggested copyedit here. Notes You can add a note for the editor here. * Required information. Fix Typo Guest post written by Heather Sexton Heather is a runner of crazy long races, a mom of two awesome little boys, and a late bloomer in life. She writes because her life has been completely extraordinary and she has stories to tell. http://www.marathonmom304.com/ PREVIOUS Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for NEXT SEATTLE EVENT: Self-Publishing PROS, CONS, and WTFs on June 18, 2019 Show/Hide comments [ 0 ] Join the conversation Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Subscribe me to your mailing list No-drama comment policy Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy.