My Dad Essay

In the Toyota commercial, “How to be a Dad”, we see numerous dads come on screen and give an emotional testimony of the impact their dad had on their life. Most of these men had a negative impact from their dad in their life in one way or another, whether it be the dad not being there, abusive or just not as loving as a dad should be. But growing up that couldn’t have been more opposite for me and my dad. He was a role model, teacher, a lover and someone I looked up to and could tell anything too no matter what. This commercial truly had an impact on me and made me realize that not everyone was raised like me. My fathers father, (my grandfather), was born and raised in Cuba and married his wife, (my grandmother), in Cuba. When Castro took

My dad was present in everything I did in my life and taught me everything I know. My dad was an athlete growing up, so naturally he introduced me to sports. I can still remember in our old house in Villa Rosa, being outside in the dusk hours of the day after my dad had a long strenuous day at work and had probably had listen to a couple lectures for his MBA he was still working on. He would find the time to take me outside and just throw the ball around. It became evident early on that sports and athletics became the bond that me and my dad shared. He taught me how to throw, catch, shoot and not just the details of each game, but how to play the game and how to play it right with respect and dignity. He was also my first fan and coach. I remember the late little league practices we would have and always getting McDonalds after even though my mom probably had leftovers that we could eat that night. It was those little moments like my first Bucs game or first Rays game with my dad that you just don’t forget. You can’t replace the memory of being in the beating hot sun with rabid fans yelling and beer and hot dogs in the air of your first game with your dad. Or the long drive to St. Pete on the way to the ballgame, with the sunset in the background and one of his favorite artists Jimmy Buffets, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”, playing in the car. These are the moments any dad looks forward to sharing with their son, and me and dad enjoyed every single second of them. Sports though was not the only thing that my dad taught me. He always taught me that academics came first and that hard work and dedication were the keys to being successful, and he is a living testimony to