3 Lessons My Father Taught Me + Why He’s The #BestDad

daddy-daughter-fathers-dayI don’t share intimate details about my family life here on LoveBrownSugar that often. Most of my family shenanigans can be seen over at BabyBrownSugar or on my Instagram, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you all how important my Father is to me during this Father’s Day season. Though I’ve never had a super duper close “BFFs for life” type of relationship with my Dad, I can honestly say I’ve learned so much from him throughout my life. From the way he’s treated my mother and their interactions as a married couple, to his ethics of hard work and discipline, my Father provided a real blueprint for me to be a responsible and hardworking adult with real values.

As I reflect on the important things I’ve inherited from my father, here’s a very short list of 3 lessons my Father has taught me:

1. Invest in experiences, not things.

For as long as I can remember, there were always certain money requests my parents refused to move their budget on. No matter how hard I begged, they wouldn’t buy me a pair of Jordan’s. No matter how long I cried, I couldn’t have a designer bag. In fact, my first real designer pair of shoes and handbags were purchased with my very own summer internship stipend money! What I would never get a “no” to, however, were priceless experiences like travel and the arts.

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My mother and father actually met while traveling. My dad worked as an officer on a ship and my mom was on vacation. So travel has always been an important thread in my family’s story. We went on a fair share of amazing family vacations. As a child, he took me back with him to Jamaica to visit his family there and to spend summers with my grandparents. And even up until college, my parents would help me out with any international trips including spring breaks in the Dominican Republic and my semester abroad in Paris (though Daddy was reluctant to see me go away for so long). My Father has always indirectly taught me the importance of experiencing people and places as opposed to relishing in things.

2. Discipline and hard work pays off.

As an immigrant coming to the US from Jamaica, my Father made hard work and discipline an integral part of his life and something that heavily defined his character. When my Father sets out to do something, he’s going to do it, whatever it takes. He gets up at the crack of dawn every day, religiously, and follows a very strict routine. He is always on time. And he NEVER, ever misses a day of work. He really set an incredible example for me when it comes to work ethic because I’ve had the good fortune of growing up in a loving, caring and safe home based on his hard work and sacrifice.

3. Put family first.

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Even though I consider my Dad to be close to a workaholic (he never misses a day! See #2), one thing he always has right are his priorities when it comes to work and family. My Father has always made sure to dedicate his free weekends and holidays to cooking meals for the entire family, sitting at the table and catching up with everyone and just spending quality time with the people he loves – especially his grandchildren. Because of his love for cooking, I’m planning to get him a nice new set of cookware because some of his pots and pans are older than I am.

The folks at Kmart have partnered up with me to offer one of you loves a $50 gift card to treat a special Dad in your own life (or perhaps to treat yourself!). They have a great collection of quick, easy and budget-friendly Father’s Day options at Kmart.com/FathersDay for you guys to choose from if you’re at a loss for the best gifts.

Check out this hilarious/adorable video demonstrating just one of a few things you might get from Dad:

Just a leave a comment below telling us what YOU’ve inherited or learned from a father figure in your life. Can’t wait to hear your stories!

This post is sponsored by Kmart. As always, all opinions expressed above are my own and not those of the company.

Christina Brown

Lifestyle influencer and digital mompreneur Christina S. Brown is a New York native, LA resident, and the founder of LoveBrownSugar.com and BrownGirlsLove. She's an award-winning storyteller, a motivational speaker and an advocate for confident millennial black women.

3 Comments
  1. Integrity. My father has taught me that anything you do in life you do with integrity, you always do the right thing even if it’s the hardest thing.

  2. I have my dads toes! 🙂 And his sense of humor. He always remembered people and knew how to make them feel important. I got that gift from him too and I’m so happy that I did. He was a good man and a great father. Miss him every day.