It’s the little things that count: light pats on the back, spontaneous phone calls during the workday, messages goofily punctuated with emoji. While those were all accidents in your dad’s case, it’s worth it for those few seconds when you think your relationship might be improving. Here are six times your dad’s text message oh-so-briefly made you think he approved of who you are and what you are doing instead of just sending an emoji by accident.
1. When He Messaged You a Thumbs-Up After You Told Him About Your New Job
You thought that finally landing an entry-level job (with benefits!) in the field you went to college for would warrant at least a “nice.” What you got was a thumbs-up emoticon, followed by an “oops, didn’t mean to send that.” Followed by nothing at all.
2. When He Texted You the Zany Ghost After You Risked a Joke
Your dad doesn’t really get your sense of humor, especially not in text form. But for a moment or two, you thought he might have really been into your sarcastic “no” when he asked if you could pick him up from the airport. But all too quickly, the “mistake. Pls be there at 5am” text arrived, dashing your sense of self in six curt words.
3. When He Sent a String of Emojis After You Mentioned You’d Booked a Flight for the Holidays
You were so excited that your dad wanted you home, and so proud of him for mastering the text message equivalent of a spasm of joy. That is, until he gave you a call a couple minutes later asking you to fix his phone when you arrived. It’s stuck on that damn picture keyboard. What he meant to say was, “I hope you’re not bringing anyone home with you.”
4. When He Sent You the Turtle Out of the Blue
For a couple of seconds, the whimsical relationship you and your father were about to embark on stretched before you. But you never got an explanation for that turtle, and you know it was a mistake due to his phone swimming around in his pocket. You do know that, right? Right?
5. When He Followed Up a “Please Call Home” Text With a Toothy Smiley Face
For once, it seemed like he wanted you to call because he wanted to hear your voice, not because you’d received a traffic violation delivered to your childhood home. Boy, were you wrong. Turns out he thought the toothy smiley was the emoji for “jaw-clenching rage”.
6. When You Got a Heart on Your Birthday
You really, truly thought that this was his minimal, dad-like way of acknowledging your birthday. And you kind of loved him for it. That is, until he added “sorry wrong person.” Now all you can hope is that it was meant for your mom.
It’s important to remember that your dad loves you, even though he only knows how to show it accidentally. Isn’t it beautiful, the way technology has brought us together?
