What a beautiful gift my daughter Rachel gave my wife Amelia at Christmas dinner. It made her cry. It was a bra, a heartless gift that didn’t show any care for Amelia’s battles with breast cancer. As Rachel’s dad, I knew I had to stand up for her and teach her a lesson.
I tried to stay calm at first, but as the night went on, I couldn’t get rid of the anger and sadness I felt. Rachel’s present wasn’t just a joke; it showed that she didn’t care or understand. I knew I had to talk to her about this behaviour and let her know how it was making me feel.
I chose to punish Rachel by making her do jobs around the house for the rest of Christmas. It was hard to make, but I thought it was the only way to teach her a lesson. Rachel was mad at me, but I stood my ground because I knew this was a chance for her to learn and grow.
Rachel’s anger turned to tears over the course of a few days, and she finally realised how bad her mistake was. We began to get along again after she said sorry to Amelia and me. It was a hard Christmas, but it taught us a lot about compassion and responsibility.
Now that I think about it, my response wasn’t just meant to punish Rachel; it was also meant to teach her how important it is to be kind and caring. It’s my job as a dad to teach my kid right from wrong and make her a better person. I’m happy to say that Rachel has learnt from her mistake and is now more kind and willing to help others.
I also learnt how important it is for our family to talk to each other and understand each other. Even though things have gone wrong sometimes, we’ve always been stronger afterward. I’m thankful for that.
