Dear Dad...

I can't remember the last time we had a conversation.  Maybe it was about college, maybe about getting my license.  Honestly, such exchanges have long become extinct.  I had some time to reflect this week on our relationship through thought-provoking discussions in english, and I think I know where it all went wrong.  Well, not wrong.  Just lost our connection, our relationship.

We've always had a precarious relationship based off goals and expectations.  I remember you canceled my birthday dinner when I was 8 because I didn't win my piano competition.  Or that time you made me quit art classes because I wasn't sleeping 10 hours every night.  Or how about that time when switched my violin teacher without me knowing because I was sitting "too far back".  I know you always had the best intentions for me, but your way of communicating your love never made it out of my fickle childhood.  I supposed I need to take part of the blame as well. I was always the slow child that all asian parents hate-- took their time with everything and had "rests" that were longer than the "working" time.   With little communication and a whole lot of unattainable goals, we slowly drifted apart as I "[grew] faster mentally" and became "more myself" (Manning 145).  I was able to separate who I really was from your dreams for me.

I hope one day we will be able to rekindle our relationship and see each other without the barriers of expectations and reality.  Maybe we will talk about college again.  Maybe you'll look into some "good" majors to go into and give me choices I must choose from.  Or maybe, "rather than any of this", we can sit down and have a open-hearted conversation (Manning 148).

-- your daughter