Blog Post

Cheers to Dad by Marissa Minichello


My dad has always been quiet. Growing up he rooted my sisters’ and I on in sports and school. I always knew he loved me, but I never really understood what the bond between a father and a daughter was.
At the beginning of June, I worked at the Memorial Golf Tournament and one man who had too much fun that day was telling me his experiences about being a father. He referred to his current stage in life as the ‘Oh my gosh’ stage. The stage occurs when all of your kids become adults and they are off in college. He described it as “crap, my kids are gone, what am I going to do?” He continued to say that your dad cares about you more than you will ever know. I didn’t know what he meant by that. Of course I know my dad loves me. What didn’t I know about our relationship?
A week later, when my younger sister played in her last high school lacrosse game and I saw the expression on my dad’s face, I finally understood what the man from the tournament meant. My dad was hurt and scared of what is next to come in his life. He is in his ‘Oh my gosh’ stage as his last girl goes off to college in the fall. His facial expression almost brought me to tears as I began to realize that he has committed the last 22 years of his life to my two sisters and I. He taught us life skills and put us through experiences to prepare us for the rest of our lives. He made sure he was at all of our games either on the sideline coaching or cheering. He doesn’t say much, but now I know how deep the bond goes between my father and I and how much he loves me!
“To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter.”
–Euripides
Written by our Indiana University Intern, Marissa Minichello