Patrick Garcia, 14, Mayo
During my soccer games, my dad yells my name a lot. That makes me play harder. He likes things very neat, and naturally I’m kind of messy. So I’ve learned that being clean is really the better way. If I don’t get good grades, I usually get grounded. It’s happened before. Not good.
I don’t like it in the moment when he’s correcting me. But looking back, it’s definitely helped me become a better man.
But after I finish chores and school, we have time for fun. We have season tickets to the Ravens. It’s fun to spend quality time with my dad, watching our favorite team. We go on vacation every year, which is amazing, and I feel blessed that we can. Also sitting by the pool and going swimming are favorite things to do with my dad.
I think it’s very important that at times my dad is serious, and I like that a lot. But he’s also really good at having fun. He’s taught me that you need to have priorities for things like school, but you also need to know how to unwind. I love my dad.