First Draft

            I was always daddy’s little girl. I can vividly remember as a very young girl sitting on my dad’s shoulders, feeling like I could touch the sky. In reality I was only about 6 feet 5 inches in the air, but at that age it felt like I could see the world. I always insisted on my dad picking me up and holding me wherever we went, to me that was the safest place in the world. On our family beach vacations I was absolutely terrified of sharks, which kept me from ever going into the ocean. But only when my dad put me on a small raft and took me out through the waves did I feel completely at ease. In fact, those are some of my fondest childhood memories. Although it may be very common for young girls to view their fathers this way, my dad has always been a symbol of strength and security for me. His height definitely contributed to this safeness I felt whenever I was with him, but he resembled that in a unique way that not all fathers do.

 My dad has been a Columbus Police Officer for twenty-eight years. He graduated from the academy just after my oldest brother, Christopher, was born in 1988. For as long as my two brothers and I can remember my dad has put on his uniform and gone to work. We always admired that in a very special way. Most dad’s dress in their suit and tie in the morning to go to work, but ours got dressed at nine at night to go to his. By the time we were waking up in the morning to go to school he was coming back from a night on the job. It took me a long time to truly understand what my dad did for a living. When I was young I admired him the same way that all young kids admire policemen, firemen, soldier, etc. They wore a special uniform and had shiny badge, something which all children are drawn to. When you’re young you’re sheltered from the realities of what these jobs entailed, and the older I got, the more aware I became of what my dad faced on a daily basis. My dad was very protective of his only baby girl and did his best to shelter me the harshness of the world, but we all grow up eventually.  I grew up to realize the cruelty and dangers my dad faced with his job.

The things that my dad has experiences have truly shaped my perceptions. Being the daughter of a police officer gives you a perspective on things that not everyone can see. Not only do I witness the hardships of life outside of my sheltered suburban area, but I also see how that affects the people who witness it. There is no doubt that what my dad has seen has affected him as a person. Not only has it affected him, but his experiences have also affected me. I’ve grown up being aware of how dangerous the world can be. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I grew up in a fairly sheltered area, which most refer to as the “bubble”. Crime was not a major issue in suburban Columbus, except for the occasional teenage group toilet papering a yard. It was comfortable, but I was always cautious. I knew how to be safe and smart about things when other people typically weren’t. I was always free-spirited as a child, but when I hit my teenage years I became more aware. All of these experiences have shaped my identity and my perceptions.

I don’t view the fact that I may have been more cautious or aware as a bad thing. The older I get the more I appreciate it. But it wasn’t always easy having a police officer as a dad. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not appreciated law enforcement. By growing up and encountering people who would partake in many illegal activities I would receive some scrutiny over it. It was probably one of the most frustrating things to deal with growing up. Peers my age were very unaware of the sacrifices that entailed my dad being a cop. This was something I was aware of because of exposure, but most were not.