The Version You Remember

Dear Kids,

Sometimes I wonder which version of me you’ll remember.

Not the big moments like on birthdays or vacations. Those major milestones we took pictures of because we knew the scene was great and we had to share it on the family photostream.

But the regular stuff.

When I’m re-shuffling things on the patio for the billionth time.

Dropping a “hell freakin’ yeah!” to celebrate a family triumph.

Booming the lyrics to “I’m Just Ken” loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

Might be any one or none of those. Or maybe something else will stick.

Memory is strange like that.

Sometimes you’ll spend weeks planning something that fades into the background the day after it passes. But then something from a totally random Tuesday becomes something burned into your brain forever.

I still remember things from growing up at home that seemed pretty meaningless at the time.

The sound of my dad’s car coming up the driveway after work.

My mom using a coffee mug to spread the sauce evenly over the lasagna she was making.

The way your aunt’s lower jaw would stick out when I was able to realllllllly tick her off.

I remember a lot of the big stuff too. But somehow, these are the things that stay.

And that’s actually pretty comforting.

Because then maybe what matters most lives in the routines. In indentations on the couch. In the background texture of our home.

I don’t know which version of me you’ll carry forward as you grow.

Maybe it’s the one who showed you how to beat the first airship in Mario 3. Or the one who showed you the George Washington SNL skit and laughed right alongside you.

Time will tell.

But I promise you this, I am going to keep giving you tons of options.

And years from now, when those memories randomly find their way back to you, I hope they feel warm.

Love you more than you’ll ever know,

Dad

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This letter is original work from The Unfinished Dad (© 2026). Feel free to share it, quote it, or forward it; just please credit the source and don’t present it as your own.