In this excerpt from Niko Stratis' 'The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman', the author reflects on his challenging experiences working at a Food Fair, emphasizing the strenuous, dirty nature of the job and how it influenced his views on labor. He discusses his father's career as a glazier and his desire for his son to pursue something different to avoid the hardships he endured. The passage explores themes of pride, approval, and the complexity of father-son relationships, revealing a longing for validation while recognizing the value of hard work.
Once you were sure it was moving freely, you could climb back out through the steel tunnel, which was also often covered in blood and rotten food bits and liquids of unknown origin.
It's not that he didn't want me to work like him; it's that he was worried about me being weighed down by the spiritual cost of hard and demanding labor.
I never really wanted to be my dad, but I have always wanted my dad to be proud of me.
Not desperate for approval but desiring it all the same. I want him to feel like he did something right in raising me.
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