I think my son’s words say it best. He wrote this 5 years ago when he was 10. I think my Dad is worthy of the Father of the Year Award. I know there are probably thousands of dads who deserve it too, but I believe this year my Dad should get it. My Dad is: Kind – he loves playing board games with us and tries to spend as much time as possible with us Orderly – if I do something wrong, he helps me do the right thing – he helps me and my brother with our autism – so we know the right things to do and say Fun – he takes me for bike rides, hikes, and once took me to Lagoon Easy to be loyal to – because he’s so kind that you don’t want to let him down Takes good care of the environment and our dog – he always makes sure we pick up after her and play frisbee with her He also helps the community by serving in the Utah National Guard, which protects our country. Sometimes he is gone a long time. Once he was even gone for a whole year, but I know he is doing the right thing. When he’s not at the National Guard, he is a sixth-grade teacher at Early Light Academy in DayBreak. By teaching at a school he gives many kids a proper and fun education. I hope I’m in his class in a year from now. One thing that’s special about my Dad is that he helps my mom with her brain cancer. He does this by working very hard to pay for treatments and scans. He helps clean and cook around the house when she’s too sick. He goes to her appointments with her and drives her there each time. He helps her calm down when she gets stressed. She was in a car accident a few years after she got cancer. She is in a lot of pain and has had lots of surgeries. She’s also very nervous around needles and gets panicked. By helping my Mom, he helps me want to be a kind person because he is such a great example. I think because of my Dad’s characteristics and service, I believe that he should be the Father of the Year Award. I would add that he’s now been a caretaker to me – his wife for 7 years and to his 2 autistic boys for their whole lives (18 and 15 years respectively), and to our country as a military man for 9 years. I’m proud and grateful to give this shout-out to the love of my life.