16 Meaningful Things My Dad Tells Me That Don't Include "I Love You"

Published on 10/24/2018 at 10:55 AM

My dad and I have always been incredibly close. When he was diagnosed with cancer last year, I thought my world was ending. We've been pals since day one, and I know I can always count on him for literally anything. As our family dealt with getting him through his cancer treatment this past year — pretty damn successfully, I might add — I became all the more aware of how appreciative I am of everything he's done for me my whole life and how I know how much he loves me.

After I grew out of my bratty teenager phase and realized that my dad asking me to call if I was going to be late or offering to drop me off somewhere wasn't him being annoying or uncool, it was just him showing me he cared, I realized how important it was and how lucky I was to have not just one but two parents who care endlessly.

Consider this a thank-you letter to my dad, who has done everything for me and shown me how much he loves me, beyond simply saying "I love you." I'm grateful for him every single day.

"I made you dinner."

Once I reached the age where I was completely capable of cooking for myself, my parents didn't need to feed me anymore, but they did. My mom was usually in charge of food, but every so often when I was tired after cheerleading practice or had to be at school for a football game, my dad would throw dinner together for me to not only help me out but to also give my mom a break. Double win!

"How was your day at work?"

I call my parents every night while I'm walking home from work, and my dad always answers the phone. Every single day, he asks how work was, if it was busy, what I got done, etc. And it's not a throwaway question — he asks every day because he actually wants to know.

"Do you need a ride?"

When I was young, offering me a ride somewhere was no big deal. Now that I live 500 miles away from home, my dad will still ask me from time to time if I need a ride somewhere. When my cat was sick a couple years ago (and when I say sick, I mean she was almost dead), he asked if I wanted him to come pick me up. He drove from Ohio to New York City immediately, picked me up, and drove me back to Ohio. It was 15 hours round trip in the car, and he did it, no questions asked.

"Just calling to check in."

I save all my voicemails from my dad that simply say, "It's just Dad, calling to check in. Talk to you later, love you." Sometimes he'll call to actually tell me something, but sometimes he really is just calling to say "hi" and check in, and those times are special because he just felt like saying "hi."

"I miss you."

My dad just sent me a birthday card this year, and after the sweet birthday message, he wrote, "Miss you" and underlined it. It's never easy living hundreds of miles away from home.

"I made you a plate of leftovers."

Almost every time I fly in to visit my parents, they ask me if I'll want food when I get home. (The answer is always yes to food.) Just about every time we walk in the door from the airport, my dad will say, "I made you a plate of leftovers; it's in the fridge if you want it."

"Call if you're going to be late."

When I was a teenager, this annoyed me, because I felt like I should be able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It wasn't until I got older that I realized my dad just wanted to make sure I was safe, wherever I was.

"I read your stories."

Every day when I talk to my dad, after he asks how work was, he asks if I've written any more stories. He asks even though he knows the answer, because he has my author pages bookmarked on his iPad and checks them every single day. Hi, Dad, I know you're reading this.

"Take a nap; I'll wake you up later."

Not only will my dad tell me to take a nap whenever life gets to be too much, but he'll cover me with a blanket after I fall asleep. Then he just leaves me be.

"Want the rest of my French fries?"

My dad and I do a lot of road trips, which means we stop at a lot of McDonald's. It doesn't matter how hungry my dad might be, he'll always offer me the end of his French fries because they're my favorite.

"Here's money for lunch."

My parents weren't necessarily the type to ply me with money and things to get me off their backs, but they always made sure I had what I needed. My dad would leave me lunch money on the counter just about every morning in high school, because I was too busy to have an actual job that would pay for my own food.

"This made me think of you."

My dad has always loved to get me little gifts when he sees something that makes him think of me. When I was young, they were usually teddy bears, and the latest was a Harry Potter snow globe. He'll hand it over and simply tell me he thought I would like it.

"There's cookie dough ice cream in the freezer."

This actually happened once not too long ago. I was at my parents' house for a visit and was scrounging around in the freezer for ice cream, but I didn't like the flavors available. I mentioned in passing to my dad that evening that it was a shame there was no cookie dough ice cream. The next morning when I woke up, my dad told me there was cookie dough ice cream in the freezer now.

"You're right."

My dad is intelligent and stubborn, and when he first started admitting that I was right about things, it was a whole new world for me. It means a great deal to me for someone I look up to to say that I'm right, and he agrees with my opinion.

"Thank you."

"Thank you" is so simple to say but means so much. My dad has thanked me for a lot, just as I've thanked him, and each one is an implied "I love you" as well, from both of us.

"I'm proud of you."

For me, all I've ever wanted is for my parents to be proud of whatever I'm doing with my life. My dad tends to be a man of few words, but when he tells me he's proud of me, I know he means it.