I love to listen to my dad’s stories.

When I was young, he would tell me short anecdotes that gave me a peek into his childhood. When I begged him to tell me more he would respond with, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

This filled me with anticipation to finally grow up so I could hear more. Every few years I would try again, but his response remained unchanged, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

In early November I turned 18 and ventured down to Colorado with my dad on a college visit. Little did I know that my years of waiting were over. All that built-up anticipation about my dad’s past had come to an end, and any question I asked was greeted with an answer. Along with the humor and surprise that normally came with his stories, accounts of his past mistakes revealed some feelings of regret.

There were things he wished he hadn’t done and situations he would’ve preferred to have stayed out of, but, in the end, I don’t think he would’ve changed one thing.

The teenage years can be a truly difficult time in one’s life, but the lessons one learns are invaluable. Everything that happened has made him into the person he is today and now he gets to share his experiences with his daughters.

A person can’t get through life without making mistakes — one might call it a side-effect of living.

Even though mistakes might not seem like anything to laugh about at the time, in future years they turn into memories shared around the dinner table. I have already accumulated stories I plan on passing along when the time comes. I may not be proud of all of them, but each one has taught me a lesson I will carry with me in the future.

One is about responsibility, another is about patience, and still another taught me self-awareness. In the words of Douglas Adams, “A learning experience is one of those things that says, ‘You know that thing you just did? Don’t do that.’”

The reason that personal stories have endured for centuries within families is because of parents’ desire to prevent their children from making the same mistakes they did. The reason those same mistakes continue to be made is because the children didn’t listen.

Because there isn’t a way to stop this trend, people will continue to make mistakes, which isn’t a bad way to learn.

My dad and I may not have had similar childhoods, but we do have one thing in common — experience. While he has collected much more over the years, I learned from him that there is no such thing as too much experience.

His ability to take on tough situations with determination is an indicator that he isn’t afraid to screw up, something he learned as a teenager. I realized that this is the only way to go through life to be the best version of myself. The most valuable lessons I will acquire as a teenager will come from mistakes I turn into learning experiences.

— Cassidy Grady is a senior at Whitefish High School