To The Men That Raised Us
Sometimes it is important to point out the good in the world, and sometimes that means shining light on the good guys out there. I know I had a fortunate upbringing, and I have never taken that for granted. One of the reasons I was so fortunate was my father. Yes, he provided a very nice life for our family, but it was more than that. Our dad (there are three kids) always supported us, no matter what sport we wanted to play, no matter what career we wanted to try, or path we wanted to take. He believed in us all equally, and two of us were girls.
I remember once my parents were on the phone with my older brother when he was at college. They hung up the phone and went back and forth about how he sounded, if he was okay, and on and on. It was the first time I realized they worried about us as much as they did. I was probably a senior in high school, and I looked at my parents and said, “Will you worry about me like that when I go to college?”
My father looked me straight in the eye and said, “Elizabeth Ann, I will never worry about you, but I will always wonder about you.”
I took this as the highest compliment. I knew what he meant. My dad always believed in me. He knew we had different strengths, and he was there to help us every step of the way. He knew I was always willing to give things and try. Maybe this openness to exploration wasn’t the best trait when I went to a big state school, but in entrepreneurship, it is. I think Dad always knew that despite not always making the best choices in my younger days, I would figure out a way to end up on my own two feet. When I called him in 2003 and asked him for a loan to open The Shoe Hive (we went in 50/50), he didn’t hesitate. I think he knew that even though I clearly didn’t know what I was doing, I could probably figure it out over time.
The men in my life who have supported me doesn’t stop there. My older brother, Brett, has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders and has raised two strong young women as well. One just graduated with honors from Ohio State’s business school, and the other is starting there next year to play lacrosse on scholarship.
Of course, there also is my husband, Brad. To watch him raise our daughter is remarkable. When she was little, he would stand at the foot of her bed every night and tell her she could be anything she wanted to be. It was a ritual. Now that she is in high school, watching her read the complicated news articles he sends her and then listening to them stay up until all hours of the night debating issues just makes me smile. He is teaching her to really think and challenge not only his opinions but her own. It is really fun to see. I know when she heads out into the world, she will be fine because of her dad.
When I look around at all the amazing women who work at the stores, I know that most of them are strong because of the role their fathers played in their lives. So this weekend, I hope all the great dads out there get to relax, maybe play some golf, or just sit and do nothing because they deserve it, and sometimes we all forget that. I know I am a better woman because of a lot of great men who have believed in me along the way, especially my dad. We thought we should share some of the best advice we got from our dads and some gifts to help make their day special.
