Sergey Leonovich aka my daddy

My dad has a very different personality from my mom. He is very loud and demanding. Hmm, sounds like me right? Well, I do take after him. I am just as social as he is; I tend to look on the bright side of the matter (my dad is an optimist as well). I tend to be straightforward, if you have met my dad you know that he does not keep his opinions to himself and is very bold. I consider it a great quality, strength really. Life is too short to be hiding under pretences; it takes too much energy to be fake. My dad does not hide anything, what you see is what you get.
If my mom was very strict with us when my sister and I were kids, my dad was just the opposite. He was a huge teddy bear, he still is. He loves kids, and if mom refused us in something, dad would always give in. Guess whom we went to when we wanted something? Well, my sister and I were not stupid. It was a smart choice for us to go to dad, he loved spoiling us, so we would weigh our chances of getting something by going to mom or dad, and almost always picked dad.
My dad is an extravert, my mom is an introvert. He loves being at a party. During my wedding, he really enjoyed being among young people. Well, he still thinks he is young. Actually, even though he is getting bald and grey-haired, he is very young at heart, and rather frequently behaves like a young adult. If my dad is at the party, he will challenge younger kids to a dance. Ok, those of you that were at my wedding, I will tell you one thing: remember the air guitar? Most men in their 50's worry about their status, they feel the need to behave mature, etc., my dad just likes to have fun in his life. If my dad wants to dance, he will dance. If he wants to sing, he will sing. If he wants to be a rock star, he will play an air guitar and have a blast. My dad loves life, and I think that is what it comes down to. He loves having a good time. He loves his kids (me and my sister). He is very proud of both of us. He loves my mom and respects her very much.
My dad is very macho. He is very handy and insists on the fact that men never show their real feelings. It's not manly to do so. Not sure how true that is, but that's what my dad thinks. He also is a strong believer that men need to know how to fix a car and how to build a home. Needless to say, he is very handy around the house, and knows how to fix anything in his car. His car is his hobby (fixing it I mean). The thing is his car is never broken. Not once did it actually break down on him, any of his cars, and he has had many. My dad always says: "You have to keep the car in good condition and catch the problem before it arises". He does, he replaces all kinds of stuff in his car, and the result, the guy has never been stranded on the side of the road.

If my mom helped me achieve everything I have academically, my dad helped me achieve everything I have socially. All my social skills come from my dad. My kindness, sympathy - learned from my dad. Me being so talkative and extraverted-my dad in me. You can never be bored if my dad is around. His laugh is contagious and so is his good mood all the time. I love my dad. I am a daddy's girl actually. I was always closer to my dad than my mom. I think I tend to hide some of my feelings too just like my dad (sadness, loneliness at times), maybe it's from me listening to him saying how people need to toughen up, not cry upon any chance they get. Be tough, get through hard situations, laugh afterwards and move on. His teachings helped me get through college, when I was working 2 jobs and going to school full time. Be tough, get through it, don't cry, face the challenges. Now I laugh at some situations, treasure my education and move on in life.

My parents have been married for nearly 30 years. I wish that my marriage will last that long. I wish I have kids who would love and respect me just as much as I love and respect my parents.

Oh, you know how I am going to name my daughter after my mom. Well, no I am not going to name my son after my dad. I am going to name my son: Leon. It's my dad's dad. My dad loved his dad (my grandpa died when my dad was 18). Everybody who knew my grandpa says that my dad looks very much like him. I think my dad would be flattered if I named my kid like his dad.

I once made a speech about my dad. It was in my public speaking class, it was our last final speech and we were supposed to give it on our idol. Well, my idol, my hero is my dad. Everybody has a father, but not everybody has a daddy. I do, and I am extremely lucky to have my dad in my life. He rocks in every way possible!!!