admire

There are many people that I admire, but none more than my father. Despite the many hardships he survived, my father remains a positive influence in my life. During his childhood, my father overcame many obstacles. He has always been supportive of me, and taught me the importance of strong family values and success.
We all have obstacles when we are growing up, but my father had more than most people. He had an abusive father, and because of that, had to drop out of high school. As far back as he can remember, his father was an abusive alcoholic. Many nights, instead of playing football or studying, my father would sit by his fathers side talking to him until he was sober. During the more violent episodes, my father would purposely put himself in harms way to keep his father from abusing one of his seven brothers or sisters.

Because of his childhood, my father was forced to drop out of high school and help support the family. It proved very difficult to make decent money without a diploma. He struggled through many odd jobs, but still managed to become the plant manager of a large automotive corporation.
It is because of his difficulties in childhood that my father learned the importance of being supportive and understanding. As my father always said, "You have to make mistakes in life to learn from them." And he let me make those mistakes. Then he would talk to me about the decisions I made and why things went wrong. He helped me sort out many difficult situations throughout my teen years. He did this with love and understanding, never with criticism or meanness. Without the help he provided me with during those difficult years, I would not be the