Many people think that absent fathers are very common but my story is about how mine was not. My father is my hero. My father started working at 9 years old in mexico which is very common there. He helped clean cars and he helped build and fix houses in his neighborhood. He had 6 brothers and 6 sisters so they helped my grandparents (their parents) very much. My dad was always taught to give thanks to God that he was able to help bring food to the table. He did this for years with no time to rest other than school. After a couple years, around age 16, he had to leave school to help his parents with money more, full time. Around age 19 he met my mom, she was 15. They dated for almost a year and then she got pregnant with me months after they started dating. 

       My dad decided that it was time to come to America so that he could earn more money because with me on the way it was going to be hard because the pay was not enough in Mexico. What pushed him to make that decision was the fact that he did not want me to grow up the same way he did because he missed out on his childhood and his education because of poverty. He crossed the border the first time and he went to work at a mushroom factory with one of my uncles that was here. He would send some money back to Mexico to my mom and his parents. After 4 months he crossed back a second time to see his family and my mom. A little less than a month later he crossed the third time back to keep working. 3 months after that he crossed the fourth time to finally get all his things and my mom so that they could move to the U.S. Him and my mom crossed and made it here to DE. 

         We lived in my aunts house up until I was 4 and I celebrated all the holidays and birthdays there. After that my parents got an apartment and I was introduced to my new brother when I was 5. When i finished kindergarten at age 6 we moved again nearby to a house. I had a very good childhood, i was very spoiled. Me and my brother always had clothes on our back and food on our table because we were always our parents biggest priority. My dad always worked from 4 am to 3pm so he came home exhausted but he always found a way to entertain me and my brother. My mom worked 5pm to 11pm so we only saw her for a while after me and my brother got home from school and my dad from work.

          Like all good things in life, it came to an end. One day when I came home from school during 7th grade, I saw my dad waiting for me on the couch wanting to talk to me. He told me he and my mom were getting divorced because of something my mom did. He still lived with us for about a week so that he could find some place to go and of course during that time he tried to win my mom back but it did not work. After my mom met someone new a couple months later before I started 8th grade we moved again to where i live now. Both me and my dad struggled with depression for years but we both pulled through and kept going for each other. He was there for me and I was there for him.

To this day my dad struggles with money. He has to pay for many things including child support because of something he didn't deserve to go through but he still gets it all done like nothing. Of course the court did not care about his situation they just gave him an amount to pay and it was over, they moved on to the next case. My dad has been my biggest supporter through it all and my biggest support system. I only see him once a week but when i do see him we talk about literally everything. I give him advice as much as he gives me advice. He always tells me I have his this huge heart but we always talk about how our big hearts have gotten us used and hurt. We are always there for each other to help pick up our broken pieces. No matter what he is going through he always stops what he is doing to help me and guide me. He currently is doing side jobs and his normal job at the same time for money. He is the most hard working man I have ever met and he is my role model for sure. He is my hero.