This one is really close to my heart. It’s about my wonderful Dad Markus and his wife Anke. Growing up, I spent most of my childhood with my Dad. My parents got divorced when I was about 11 years old and I decided to live with my Dad. Not because I didn’t want to be with my mom but honestly, at that time of my life we had trouble getting along. I knew I would have more freedom if I lived with my dad.  Also, I would have to move to another city and lose all my friends if I lived with my mom.

The way my dad raised me is probably a little different than most dads do. Let me tell you a little about our life together. It’s true when I said I had more freedom than other kids BUT! my dad always said:

“You can do what you want but you have to face the consequences.”

And those consequences can be really brutal when you are young! Dad didn’t make me sandwiches for lunch or “mother” me when I was sick. Don’t get me wrong – I am not talking about real emergencies. Many times Dad sat with me in the emergency room at 2:00 am because of an ear infection or cut finger. No, I’m talking about life’s minor tragedies. He was never the one to tell me everything was going to be all right when something was really wrong. He handled things differently. He always sat there and listened to me, then thought about it for a while and offered me solutions that helped me make the right decisions. Even though I didn’t like most of his solutions – or sometimes I just needed a kind word – he never gave bad advice.

I remember endless discussions I always lost because I hadn’t thought things through and had no good argument. They made me so angry but also helped me learn to understand both sides of an issue.

One time when I was about 16 years old and I took a VERY LONG shower. You know how teenage girls are… About 30 minutes later I came out, fresh, energized and feeling great. My dad was standing there and waiting for me. He simply asked “Do you know how much water you just used?” Of course, I didn’t. Why should I? I have never ever thought about the water I use at home. It’s free right? And if not, I don’t even have to pay for it.

“180.00 liters!”- Which is about 47 gallons.

So apparently, he was standing in front of the water meter to confront me with the exact number. He must have planned it beforehand – which made me angry immediately. He wasn’t angry and didn’t tell me to use less water the next time. He just asked me if I thought that 180.00 liters would be appropriate for one shower.

I felt offended, didn’t know what to say and then got really annoyed thinking that he is the only person on earth who would do stupid things like that and waste time standing in front of the water meter. But deep down, I knew he was right! It just never occurred to me. It was the first time I paid attention to using water. I never thought about how I was using a natural resource. The funny thing is, whenever I use water now, I still think about it and use it more resourcefully.

So, even though we were really close, there were many times I was angry at him or massively annoyed and wished he would just be like all the other parents I knew. Sometimes it even felt like he enjoyed making my life harder. Back then I had no idea that this would prepare me to become the responsible adult I am today

– I am thankful and proud of how he raised me. He made me the person I am today –

a mature human being who considers consequences and is aware of the environment. He raised me to be a strong-willed and confident woman – all priceless qualities!

I have never met another person who is as disciplined and focused as my dad. This is a man who learns a new language in about one year, gets excited about new topics and listens to whatever you have to say… It makes me very happy that he found Anke. She loves him exactly the way he is and they found their own way of having a unique and deep relationship that makes you smile when you see them together. Even though it seems they have completely different personalities, they complement each other so perfectly.

My dad definitely is and will always be the most important role model in my life.