The Role of Family in My Life (Essay Example)

Everyone’s life can change based on other people’s choices. I’m a better person because of the choices my mother and father have made. My mother made a choice to be a great mother who was always available to her two children. My father on the other hand has always been unavailable. He made a choice to be a businessman but never made the choice to be a father. As a child I never knew how emotionally and physically separated me and my father were. 

What was important to my father was work and what was important to my mother was her two children. I would describe my father Joe as an introvert but as a man I would describe him as an extrovert. I know that sounds tricky, but it was like he tried to not be involved with his children. He never talked about his feelings and he never engaged in conversations with me and my brother. Growing up I always tried to fix something that wasn’t my choice but with time and experience without him it was his choice to leave and there was nothing I could do. Sometimes when I would ask my father Joe a question, he would act like he didn’t hear me. when I asked the question again and he would reply with “WHAT” in an angry tone. I honestly believe that he was deaf for the longest time. I have come to find that if my father can’t make money from you or get physical labor from you, you are nothing but a problem. My brother Michael and I have our differences with our father Joe because Michael does have a relationship with him. My brother only knows our father as his boss because he is an employee under Joe. This comes into play because Joe can benefit from Michael. Michael thinks that he has a father son relationship but doesn’t know our father outside of work. My mother Carol was the complete opposite; she is an extrovert. She always engaged in conversations and sometimes you couldn’t shut her up, but she was always there to listen. My mother was the only parent figure I had in my life and I’m thankful for that. My mother was there for all of my soccer games, award ceremonies, graduations and many more. She was also there for me during the bad times as well. My mother always told me “your father is responsible for the relationship he has with you, not anyone else”. 

In 2006 my father had a case against the City of Norwood that was brought before the Ohio Supreme court to justify the use of eminent domain and won. After my father won the case, he used the money to invest in apartment buildings, vacation homes, cars, and his own concrete business. During this time, I became very sick. I became septic in my left knee for no known reason. While my father was busy with his new investments, he never had time to come see me at the hospital. After this event had happened in my life, I knew that my dad would always be too busy for me. Even to this day he isn’t a part of my life and I know that it was his responsibility, but he made a choice not to be. 

This story is important to me because his choice to not be a part of my life has made me a better understanding person. Throughout this experience I have learned that people have different priorities even though it might be the wrong priorities. I believe that it has changed me for the better. I learned a lot from this event because people’s choices can change your outcome or understanding in life. I think about this event almost every day in my life because I know that his choice to leave was a bad choice on his end. This event has changed the way I behave in certain situations because even though people make bad choices doesn’t make them a bad person.

There can be no doubt that the choices my father made have changed my outcome in life. I don’t know what my life would be like if he was in my life. All I know is that I won’t make the same choices he made with my children. I will know that the priorities of my children will always be first. I wish I could say this isn’t my story, but it is, and this makes me who I am today.