Work Sucks

Aodhan,

If I turn out to be a decent parent(something that is still very much up in the air), I will install in you the same work ethic that your meemaw installed in me.  I was raised(as was your mother) to believe that no job is beneath me if it allows me to provide for my family.

Your meemaw worked a lot of crap jobs to provide for your aunts and I.  Similarly, I have worked many, and I mean many, crappy dead-end jobs.  Allow me to elaborate:  I worked as a janitor at the school I attended, while I was in high school.  Imagine going to school and being known as Janitor Joey, and having to clean up after your classmates.  I also worked at a gas station, flipped burgers, mowed lawns, worked at a t-shirt shop at the mall, watched kids at a daycare, moved furniture, was a plumber's assistant(a real crappy job), and delivered pizza.

The most important thing I can tell you is that while I hated most nearly all of these jobs, I excelled at nearly all most of them.  A good measure of personal maturation is the ability to excel in less than stellar conditions.  I know you'll probably complain a bit when I require nudge you to get a part-time job in high school, or perhaps you'll surprise me and find one first on your own.  I used to cuss out laugh at people who made this next statement to me, but it is very true: Working in a crappy job is a rite of passage that builds character. 

I hope you never have to endure some of the tough financial times that your mom and I have encountered over the last few years, but you should know that we will always be here to help if you do.

I love you,

Dad