quiet dad love

My dad doesn’t say much, but he loves me.

I was reminded of this while watching a show. In it, a father is described as "quiet as a mouse," yet his love for his daughter is unmistakable.

The daughter, a college student, comes home late under special circumstances, only to find her dad has been waiting for her at the bus stop since morning. He’s traveled all the way from Jeju to Seoul. He says nothing of it. He's just happy to see her. She later learns he wasn’t even supposed to be in Seoul. His award ceremony was in a different city, but he made the extra trip just for her.

On the phone, her mom says, “You know your dad—he’s not into sightseeing. He just wants to see you.”

My dad is the same way. He’s not big on traveling, or really doing much for himself. What he is into is seeing me and my brother. He’ll drop everything to bring my brother food at college, never once complaining about the drive, no matter how many times he’s done it. When I got let go from work (long story—separate post), he flew across the country just to spend a week with me.

In the show, when the father gets on a bus to leave Seoul, he keeps saying bye, never stopping waving, until his daughter fades from view.

My dad does the same thing. When I left once for college, he stood outside waving until I was out of sight, even following my Uber for a bit. My driver laughed, saying how sweet it was. I sheepishly agreed. I had never really thought of my dad as sweet before. I had always just taken him for granted.

Finally, the father in the drama isn't just devoted to his kids, he's also devoted to his wife. There are many examples highlighting this.

But even more so than fictional characters, my dad is devoted to my mom. There's one big point. My mom had polio as a kid and a less good leg. He didn't know before getting married. My dad only talked about it one time, when he asked why she walked different (it was never shared with him). Since then, he never mentions it, but will always take care of her and make sure she's comfortable.

More generally, he'll honestly do anything to make sure she's happy.

I look up to my dad. He's an awesome father and husband and an incredible role model. He's often very annoying, but also very sweet.