My True Role Model

By: Bhumicka Addalti

In today’s generation children tend not to appreciate the efforts their parents put in to provide them with a fulfilling life, they might seem to think at one point that their parents are always against them but in fact they always try to give their best for us. I feel like while discipling me throughout the years my father has always shown me his strong and strict side which has really helped me grow as a person, he holds a huge portion of credit for my achievements.

 Some of the core memories that I have with him are, starting off with the first time he helped me ride a bicycle and how scary it was for me, but he assured me that he was with me the whole time and helped me overcome my fear. He has helped me endlessly with improving my math’s the process was a bit of torture, but it did end up benefiting me.

To me he is more than just a father, he is my hero, my role model, and my mentor.

My father was born in a small town in Kashmir into a very stereotypical family. He had a very disciplined and strict upbringing, but no matter how harsh or stern his father was towards him he loved him endlessly.

But like every other child he always found comfort in his mothers’ presence. She was his motivation throughout the years she was with him, he always told me about how attached he was to his mother and that now whenever he misses her, he finds her in me.

Soon after the genocide that had took place in Kashmir in 1990, Kashmiri pandits were forced to leave their homes behind and leave Kashmir. And from a young age he understood the value of hard work, and so he decided to work hard to be in a better position to support the family he was going to build with my mom after their marriage. He fought against the stereotypes his father believed in.

I still remember how my grandfather was against my mom’s job as growing up he had only seen women working in the kitchen rather than going into the outside world and being independent. My father is always there for my mom in her tough and happy times and is always supportive towards any of her decisions, and that makes me feel so proud of him for supporting my mom for the right cause. Just like that he is always supportive of my decisions as well and teaches me to be independent and to be ready for the real world. Despite all the hardships he faced in his life he never gave up and got us to a position where I can proudly say that my father is my true role model.  My father’s legacy is not just the life he lived but the values he has imparted to me, and I do hope I can honor his legacy by living with the same strength and compassion that he has lived with and shown me.