Joy Luck Club

Perhaps it was the military that made my dad so grumpy, or maybe it was his poor relationship with his own father, but my dad was hardly ever soft with me. Laugh too loud and you'd get yelled at, argue too long with your siblings for something as silly as passing the butter knife and you would be grounded for a week. He was harsh, and stubborn, and easily angered. Now that I'm older and I look back at it, I've realized that although I was well taken care of physically by my parents, my emotional needs weren't met quite as well. I have grown distant from my dad particularly, and in recent years I think he's come to realize this too. When I visit him over the summers now he's become more lenient, and his rules are less restrictive. I do appreciate it, and I think things are getting better, but I don't think I'll be able to ever truly open up to him.