Ping Pong with My Dad

My dad and I have a very close relationship and I’m really thankful to have an understanding and caring father. Just like a typical dad, he takes an interest in sport—especially ping pong.  

It all started about three years ago when my dad decided to buy a ping pong table. So we bought a ping pong table and we assembled it together. I had never seriously played ping pong at the time, so I was pretty excited to learn; however, I was gravely mistaken on that. Something you need to know about my dad is that he played ping pong for his college back in India and he is also pretty competitive—he showed absolutely no mercy at all! It took me a whole year to finally get to a level where I could withstand a long point, although it might have taken longer if I didn’t have my tennis background. I noticed around that time that my dad and I had some deep conversations while playing; even if we weren’t talking, we could sense the other’s emotions based on how we were playing. It felt strange at first, but I embraced this connection. Now, three years after we bought the ping pong table, ping pong has become a part of our lives—I probably play at least an hour and a half everyday with my dad. On days when I’m stressed about multiple tests the following day and I can’t concentrate on anything, I play ping pong for a bit with my dad. Over the past three years, I’ve definitely become a lot better at ping pong and, honestly, I’m starting to win every time we play. I can sense that I am getting much better. I can sense this growth, yet it feels uncomfortable. Recently, my dad mentioned that he’s going to miss playing ping pong with me when I go off to college. When I go to college, I can’t depend on my dad to help ease out the stress when I have a lot to worry about the next day. I’ll always remember the times that I struggled to return a ball, and how my dad laughed at me every time I sent a ball flying to the other side of the basement. Perhaps this means that now I should be more independent and responsible. I could play ping pong with someone else, but it just wouldn’t feel the same—the way it feels when my dad and I understand each other through the game.

I’m proud to have such a special connection with my dad and I’ve become more competitive in the ways I approach things. I can always count on my dad to understand what I’m going through, even in the future, and I hope everything stays how it used to be when I first started off—except next time we play ping pong, I’m going to totally annihilate the game.