"Every son's first superhero is his father, and it was the same for me. For me, he was Superman and Batman combined." - Tiger Shroff
The very first happy memory between my dad and me was when he handcrafted paper kites for me to fly. We flew the kites on the terrace of our house. The kite would quickly get stuck in the antenna but that was enough for us to laugh so hard.
He was my superhero. He taught me to read, to write and to count even before I started school. He mastered every subjects from mathematics to history. I could easily get homework help from my dad. The most important skill I learned from him is self-study. He once said when no one was there to guide you, you must become your own teacher. I didn't fully get what he meant back then. I was a student and there were always many teachers nagging me everyday. I thought he just exaggerated until I started working.
When he told me about his dreams in his young days but he had to give up on them due to poor living conditions, I wished I could achieve his big dreams to make him proud of me. His stories encouraged me to study harder more than ever. I guess my wishes finally came true when I got accepted to a prestigious university.
I was madly excited about informing him of my university admission that I didn't expect his disappointment after hearing that good news. He rejected to let me go to a new place. He said the outside world was full of unexpected dangers that could harm me in any possible way. He was always my superhero who knew everything and had no fears at all. But, suddenly he became completely paralyzed with irrational thoughts. I came to the final conclusion my dad gave up on his dreams was actually because of his doubt and fear. That day, his perfect image totally collapsed in my mind.
Shortly after that incident, I left my hometown to enter a new stage of my life. I was different from my dad. I was brave enough to embrace my dreams and upcoming challenges. No hardships would be able to stop me from achieving what I wanted. In those years living and studying far from home, I barely called or texted my dad. I didn't need his advice anymore and his negative thoughts might have dragged my ambitions down anyway. My respect for him faded a lot but I couldn't help it. I still loved him a lot but my anger and disappointment occupied all of my mind back then.
I came back to my hometown and got married with my lovely wife. One year after, my son was born. He was so fragile with those tiny little arms and legs. I was afraid I might break his bones whenever I had to move him. My wife and me always wanted to make sure we wouldn't hurt my son accidentally. Just one glance away, my son would swallow weird things immediately. I couldn't sleep properly as I was always in the alert mode. I bought the best toys for him and fed him the most nutritious food. I wanted the best things ever for him and hoped the bad things would never happen to him even once.
They say only raising children can make you understand your parents' hearts. My dad never left his hometown the entire life. He barely knew anything about the outside world. He was worried no one would protect me from the unwelcome or unpleasant incidents. Parents always see their child as a baby so it's only natural for him to anticipate every possible dangers before they even occur. Now I really regret getting frustrated with him in the past.
I started to visit my dad frequently after having my son. We spent more time chatting and laughing together. I bought his favorite foods whenever I came home. He was much older than the day I left to study in university. Time passed by quickly that he was already an old man. He was my first teacher, and he is always my superhero. Thanks to him, I learned to work hard and dream big. He encouraged me to try again after my failures. He taught me to ride a bicycle. He bought medicine and took great care of me when I was badly sick. He was always there for me when I needed help. Before anyone else, he brings out the best in me. Now I want to be there whenever he needs me.
Dad is my BAE.