daddy'S littLe girl

I am finally realizing that my dad is one of the smartest people I know. He has taught me a ridiculous amount of things that I use to so often dismiss into that "crazy old man's opinion" file somewhere deep in my mind because hey, I know better than you dad. Whenever I feel the need to be exceptionally adventurous, I'll dig up my crazy old man's file. Before I even open the dang thing, I hear a voice and beliefs I know all too well: "high expectations," "guys are looking for one thing," "go change your clothes, you look too pretty," and "eff that scum bag, he doesn't deserve to stand next to you." Hearing bits and pieces of his infamous lectures reminds me of one simple, unchangeable fact: my dad is never impressed. I quickly justify his level of extremely high expectations by him being my father, and well...crazy. Then I mosey along to rationalize his diagnosed craziness (by yours truely) with the fact that all dads must be as overprotective (did I mention CRAZY?) as mine. Makes sense, right? Not so fast. My little bubble of a world burst when I went off to college. How cliche. What's next? Good girl gone bad? No, not quite. I experienced something more along the lines of an epiphany. Everything my father has taught me? He's been right. Everything he has drilled into my head? Right again. Even the crazy things? You guessed it...............right. I'm sure you're wondering what the heck this guy has told me that's so epiphanizing. To put it simply, my father gave me high expectations even when those expectations seem impossible in this age and he refuses to allow me to accept anything but the best. As I've gotten older (despite all of my efforts not to), I find myself constantly referencing that "crazy old man's opinion" file that use to be buried deep in my memory. Some may call it a father's tough love, but I have now come to call it genius. Needless to say, I've truely learned that my crazy old man really does know his stuff. You know when your parents have a stand on an issue and they continuously find a way to bring it up no matter what? That's my father to a t. Regardless of the subject of our conversation, he will find a way to bring it to relationships and my overall well being. I'm sure we can all agree on a prima donna's immediate reaction to a father's repeated rants. Does "in one ear and out the other" ring a bell? How bout, "that's how things use to work, you're old fashioned dad"? Or here's my personal favorite, "you just don't understand." If I counted how many times I've turned on the tears and told my dad, "you just don't understand"... I'd still be counting. I used the "you just don't understand" like it was some kind of secret weapon. BAM, you don't understand dad...take that. All of the sudden the room would get eerily quiet and my father would just give me that "how many times have we been through this" look and reassure me that not only does he understand, but he understands all too well. "Yeah, yeah" I would think to myself with a roll of my eyes, and like a reflex, I wouldn't believe him. Well, I'm here to give relationship advice (much like my.....father?) and to help you skip all of the "you just don't understands." I think every girl should hear (and take to heart) the kind of advice my father is constantly giving to me because as much as I hate to admit it, all of my father's rants, advice, and lectures have helped me more than two hundred paid for designer runway looks (yes, bags and shoes included) ever could. I think we all know in lay man's terms, sacrificing those runway looks for a father's advice is the real deal. But fear not ladies, C's here. I'll relay all of my crazy old man's opinions before it's too late. Then, if you're lucky like moi, you can make a "crazy old man's opinion" file in your mind and reference it whenever you like, just like a good book.