Y.O.W

Kayla Shewbert

La per. 5

December, 16, 2010

Y.O.W

            Most teenagers talk to their friends about how annoying or stupid their parents are; not me. My mom and dad are like my best friends, but I wanted to write about my dad, Jim. I know for sure that he isn’t like most dads. For example: when I ask for a hug, instead of giving me one, he says “ten bucks!” Eventually he will give me one, but he just likes to joke around. Or, occasionally at my soccer games he will yell at me and ill yell right back, but I still love him.

            You’re probably curious about what the title means, right? So am I.  This is one reason why I chose to write about my dad. His cluelessness about the teenage lifestyle and his sarcastic humor brighten my day. One night, my mom, dad, and I were watching T.V and when I get up I say “B.R.B.” (For those who don’t text that is: be right back). He didn’t know it stood for, so he spits out; “Y.O.W!” my mom and I look at each other and burst into laughter! What in the world does that even mean? No one knows, but someday my dad will learn.

            Another thing about my dad is that he is a workaholic. Every day he works at least thirteen hours. I know that he works to support me and the family, but he is getting pretty old, fifty seven to be exact, and his body will eventually just stop working. He doesn’t even like to go on vacation and miss work. When the family went to Victoria B.C, Canada a few years ago, we didn’t have any Canadian coins to pay for parking. My sister found an old parking ticket on the ground after my dad asked around for about twenty minutes trying to swap his coins for Canadian ones. He was so frustrated he blurts out, “Are you kidding me! I can’t use that. I knew I should have just stayed home and went to work!”But we ended up having a good time so it was okay. I tell him every day he needs to stop working so much, but he’s just like the Energizer Bunny, he always keeps going.

            One thing I will always remember is the memories we had on the soccer field. It’s very irritating when your dad is the coach because you always seem to be the one that gets yelled at the most. Sometimes he can be histrionic, but it’s nice to see him happy. I know it’s sad for him now because I play for high school and he can’t coach anymore. One soccer moment I will never forget is when I was about twelve years old. We were playing a really tough team and we were losing so my dad was obviously yelling at everyone. I finally got so fed up with it I turned around and screamed, “Shut up dad! You’re not helping!” It was almost like a dramatic pause in a movie; all the parents stopped and stared. I felt terrible after I did this but I couldn’t stop playing and go talk to him, we had a game to win! He easily forgave me, but I still feel bad about it.

            My dad is definitely one of the most inspiration people in my life. Even though everyone’s parents can get annoying at times, I wouldn’t replace him with anyone else!