Meeting My Parents For The First Time | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

Meeting My Parents For The First Time

The transition wasn't what I expected...

154
Meeting My Parents For The First Time
Pixabay

The toys were never missing, clothes or money. But I was missing them. When there were activities at school (in Ecuador it’s very common), my classmates always came with their parents. While I came with my grandparents or when they could not, with my aunt Nancy. And it's not that I'm not grateful. I’m thankful for them being there because I at least had somebody, but I always longed to arrive with my parents. I imagined us holding hands, tight, as we walked together as a happy family. Almost like a corny scene you only see in movies.

But it was not like that. At least not until I turned eight and emigrated to the United States. And by then, my reality was also different. I arrived with a happy attitude, grateful to God for giving me such a special and important opportunity as a family. But after a while, the moments together were not always as I imagined.

My older sister and I clashed with my dad a lot. For some reason, he did not understand us, or maybe because we were capricious little girls we did not understand him. That being the case, I noticed that there was no super-loving connection between father and daughter. It was a somewhat distanced relationship that sometimes turned into shouts and complaints.

I'm not sure if my father ever raised children. My mom, on the other hand, had to look after her younger siblings since she was the older female among only boys. That’s why I think she naturally had the instinct of a mother towards us and tried her best to have a better relationship by taking us shopping, being nurturing and understanding.

It was a very difficult transition for both my sister and I; since I was eight years old and she was 10. There were several times when we were so furious with our parents that we would complain as to why they had left us. Now, that I’m older and understand their reasons, I see it as a cruel and selfish act on our part.

I remember my sister and I arguing with my dad. Several times I thought: “Why does he think he has the right to shout at me and tell me what to do if he was not even there for my first steps?” Again being selfish because I probably would not have remembered as a child.

For several years it was like that. A connection that lacked communication. We needed to create or fix a relationship that for many years only existed through a simple phone call. I know now for a fact, it was not only difficult for us as young girls, but also for my parents. My mom cried about how hard it was for them and my dad did too. He was sorry for leaving but asked us to understand their reasoning.

Now when I think about it again, I say, when we are young we act immature and do not know what we’re doing or saying. But we do it. I believe that I even said those hurtful things to my parents sometimes for vengeance, for the pain I suffered several years waiting for their arrival and wanting to meet them badly.

But life chose it to be this way. The circumstances in which we found ourselves decided that our lives had to go through this and so we did. They were difficult moments although thankfully we have been able to work on them and overcome it.

Our relationship is now different and much better than at the beginning. Especially with my dad because he was the hardest to understand due to his strong character. My mom is now almost like my best friend. I tell her almost everything because I have come to have that confidence in her. They have both supported me and Mary throughout college and thanks to them I am finishing my undergraduate education. Now, we are a united family, maybe not as I imagined it when I was eight but definitely, one that makes me feel happy and grateful to be here with them.

I hope to one day do more for them than they did for me. My parents are my inspiration. Thank you, mom and dad, for all you have done for Mary and I. I love you and dedicate my Bachelors Degree to you. You deserve this and much more.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
retail
Chor Ip / Flickr

I'm sure, like me, many of you received lots of gift cards over the holidays. After working retail seasonally, here are a few tips that I learned in order to make the employees at your favorite store just a little happier and not want to charge you extra on your purchase for being awful. Here are some times when you should be nicer to retail workers than you actually are!

Keep Reading...Show less
5 Untold Struggles Of The Short Friend

I'm the Short Friend. I've been the Short Friend since about the seventh grade. I'm the one who stands in the front of the photos, gets made fun of for their height, and still shops in the kids department.

This article is not for the Almost Short Friends, i.e. the 5'3" and 5'4" Friends. No no, this is for the Actually Short Friends, i.e. the Barely Scraping 5'1" and shorter Short Friends.

Keep Reading...Show less
fall
Pixabay

Myers/Briggs personalty types are a common psychological assessment that has gone mainstream in recent years and most people know theirs.

If you don’t, check it out

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Thoughts You Have When You're Late to Your 9 AM (Again)

It's a daily struggle to make it on time, but everyone has those days where they just...don't.

1162
man running down on desert

You tried your best to avoid it, but that one statistics class that you need to take in order to graduate was only offered at 9 AM. Sound familiar? Now it's a daily struggle to make it on time, but everyone has those days where they just...don't. If that sounds relatable, then you may have experienced some (or all) of these thoughts.

Keep Reading...Show less
11 Things All Call Center Workers Can Empathize With Better Than Anyone
Youtube

This semester I started my journey as a member of my University's Alumni Outreach Team. This means a lot of things, but primarily it means that I get to make phone calls to parents and alumni two nights a week to update contact information, collect things like business cards and volunteer hours, and even ask for money.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments