Trace Rouser
Tamera Davis
Composition 1
13 September 2023
Like Father, Like Son
I saw my father as a brilliant engineer. He seemed to always talk about his work and worked even
more so. I did so much to disappoint him and show that I didn’t want to be like him. I grew up wanting to
do anything but engineering, and now I am projected to get an engineering degree. What happened since
then?
I grew up with an opposing perception of my father. I saw him as being consumed by his work.
And his work was very important to him. He was an engineer and instructor at the United States Air Force
Academy (USAFA) for the majority of my early childhood. Dinner topics about his research and students
were commonplace and took up most of the discussions at the table. Outside of his time-consuming work
he engaged in leadership positions with the Boy Scouts of America as a scoutmaster. This all amounted to
my perception of him as a workaholic, busy person. I still loved my father, but I couldn’t help but feel like
he spent more time working than with his family. I decided at this point that I didn’t want to have an
engineering career like him. He worked day and night, and I blamed his work for keeping him from
home.
My perception of my father was going to change indefinitely. Around the start of high-school I
spent more time alone and to myself and used it to think more about how I acted in the past. My siblings
and I are home-schooled and have been for our entire lives, which gave us plenty of free time. I thought
about what it really meant that my father worked with such dedication. I began to understand that he
loved us so much that he wanted us to live comfortably, and he was willing to give up his time with us to
make that happen. I realized how selfless he was, and wanted to apply myself like he did. There were
many opportunities around me to apply myself. One of which was being a role model for my younger
siblings. I valued my time with my youngest sister and little brother, but that didn’t stop me from doing
homework or chores that needed to be done that day. Another way I could spend my time was with
scouting BSA. This really gave me all that I needed to be selfless and think of the group, rather than
oneself. One example from many would be that I took up the responsibility of the lead scout, and in doing
so I had less time to work on my personal goals, but I didn’t care about that. I cared about the Troop and
its scouts. I am now pursuing aeronautical engineering, like my father. I saw what my father was doing,
and I hope that I can be half as selfless as he.
After I reflected on myself, I looked to how others acted according to my newfound philosophy.
With scouting, homeschool band, and my workplace, I got to see many people and how they applied
themselves. I also saw many people online that some would consider “role models”. There were so many
instances where I thought, “I won’t be like that.” The first big example that I can remember was back in
October of 2021. I was at a campout for BSA’s national honor society, and one of the scouts said
something that shook me to my core. I don’t remember how we entered the conversation, but the person I
was talking to expressed his involvement with weed and beer. He was talking about drinking and feeding
his little brother a brownie infused with a substance. It hurt to think about what he did, because I imagine
everything as if it was applicable directly to me. I thought of my little brother. And when I equally
expressed my concern for him, he blew it off like nothing. He was a prime example of what I did not want
to become. Consumed by earthly desires and being careless for others is far from what I want to do.
Those people will always be around, yet we can learn from them, and they may help show what we won’t
be.
I probably gave my father a hard time, but I grew understanding of what he really did for his
family. Looking back on how I acted, I feel that I wouldn’t want to be that shallow minded again. In fact,
I am looking forward to learning more about the field of work my father dedicates so much to. I
appreciate my dad for all that he has sacrificed for his family.
