Growing up, I had the best childhood I could have ever dreamed of. I see that now that I am an adult and learning that I know absolutely nothing about life- except for the fact that my parents are awesome superheroes.

They gave me love. They put their kids before themselves. They sacrificed so much to give us better lives, and quite frankly I am not sure how I got so lucky. I never realized the value of the example my Daddy set for me until adulthood. He set the standards high, and honestly I don’t think there is any other human who compares to the good soul that man is.

Daddy never laid a hand on me growing up. Seriously, I cannot think of a single time he put his hands on me, unless it was to hug me or get a strand of hair out of my face after ball practice. He always told me I had the prettiest eyes and prettiest smile of anyone he had ever seen besides my Mama. It still warms my heart to this day when he says things like that.

Daddy taught me what true love is. I always thought it was a fairy tale and that love would always be perfect. However, he was always honest with me- even when it hurt. He never lied to me growing up, and he barely ever raised his voice. When push came to shove, he was always unafraid to tell me what I needed to hear… even if I didn’t want to hear it. He did that because he truly loves me. Now I see that his example was because of his love for me. Someone who truly loves you is not going to sugarcoat everything all the time. They will challenge you, but they will do it lovingly. They will not yell at you are belittle you or question your morale. They will just be themselves and be up front with you. How special that sweet man I call my Daddy really is! I get it now. Everything he did for me was always out of love.

I have never met a man who worked as hard as my Daddy did. I feel like a lot of people in my generation do not even have a clue the kind of hard work he did- day in, day out- to give his family a good and happy life. He did it selflessly. I remember him always telling me, “Women should be treated like queens. They make the world go around. They carry children and burdens for everyone else, rarely thinking of themselves. You make sure that the man you fall in love with treats you like a queen. Don’t settle for less than that. Make sure he holds the door open for you and pays your way. You deserve to be treated like a queen.”

I am not a feminist. To each their own, but I am probably an old soul in my thought process. Maybe it is because of my sweet Daddy. Regardless, because of him I see my worth in life. I see that there are men alive who do see the weight a woman carries on her shoulders, because she is always carrying everyone else’s needs before her own. Mama always told me to walk with my head held high, but not with my nose stuck in the air. There is so much truth to that. Yet, the even balance from the example my father gave me reminds me to never settle for less that what I deserve. He said I am a good person and should be treated like one, and I as his daughter have an obligation to believe his words. He is the first man I ever fell in love with, and he is my precious Daddy.

I remember Daddy telling me that love should not hurt. Those words ring in my head, and there is so much truth to that. I wish I would have listened to him more growing up, but it all makes sense now. Listen to your parents. They have been there. They have walked in our shoes. They know far more than we could ever imagine in life.

I am so thankful for a man who raised the bar high and allowed me to see a positive reflection of myself when I look in the mirror throughout life. It is critical to make your children know their self-worth.

It is okay to have standards in life. It is okay to know what you deserve. It is okay to wait until you find what you dream of in life and make that dream a reality.

Be thankful for good examples that are set for you in life. Their influence will make perfect sense at some point, I promise. To my ladies, you are a queen. Find a king who treats you like one.