The heart of a father…

This week we’ve been speaking about fathers and the special place they have in our hearts. In fact, I ran a search on the internet and came across this:

“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad”. Rightly said.

Born in a family of three uniquely vivacious girls, my dad had to contend with our whims and fancies, fluctuating temperaments, and off-the-handle sibling rivalry that have come to characterise a typical day in the life of a dad with more than one kid.

It’s amazing how he managed to cope.

But no matter how busy he was, he always had time for me. In fact, I had the luxury of having daddy all to myself for six years before my second sister came along. He taught me a lot about life, about the importance of personal responsibility and the virtue of dilligence. He has a whole arsenal of wise sayings to remind me of how important it is to work hard: “If you don’t work, you don’t eat”, “There is no substitute for hard work”, and “time and tide wait for no man”. The list goes on and on.

He taught me how to iron my pinafore, help around the house, and look after my two little sisters. Being the eldest in the family, I learnt a lot about sharing, accountability and the importance of role-modelling. And being the eldest also means many personal sacrifices and having to bear the brunt of parental reprimand.

But dad always tries to be fair. Over the years, I’ve learnt that he believes in the balance of power and responsibility. For the berating he gave – due to my occasional non-compliance and collective misbehaviour of us three daughters – he gave me much more in return, echoing the truth behind what what Ben Parker once said to Spiderman:

“With greater power comes greater responsibility”.

Despite his own unique set of idiosyncracies and his occasional nagging, he had undeniably played a big part in shaping my life.

So, as we gear up for Father’s Day, I just want to wish my dad and all the fathers… A blessed Father’s Day.

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About lynettetanblogs

Lynette Tan is Mrs Singapore Universe 2016. She believes in being beautiful and healthy, naturally. Her mantra? You're most beautiful, when you're You!

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