posted
This has been on my mind for a while and so here's my first post.
My father was a great man who lived hard and worked all the time yet sacrificed to give me a chance at the life I wanted.
He was often out of work, not because he was a poor worker but it was his line of work. When a contract expired, his job was gone. He set pride aside and did whatever it took to keep things normal. He took welfare although he didn't like to and he made it seem like we hit the jackpot when we ate rice every night.
He went out and did what he could, cleaning yards, doing odd jobs to bring in a buck every day. We all helped but thought it was fun. I never knew we were struggling.
He taught me to be strong, have values, love life, treat others with respect and most important of all to go for my dreams.
I never saw him cry or be hurt. If his heart was ever broken I never knew it. Now, being a father, I know his heart was broken many times--by me.
I think the greatest moment with my Dad was when, as an adult, he visited me, saw what I was doing with my work and my life and told me how proud he was of me.
His values are my values. Work hard--every day. Be honest. Respect the name he gave me by the way I act.
All in all, life was not luxurious, and we often were at odds, but he was a great Dad.
How was yours?
Posts: 56 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
My dad taught me that honesty is always the best policy.
My dad taught me to love reading and learning.
My dad taught me that hard work is nothing to be afraid of. He also taught me that work is work, and that "blue collar" work is not inferior to "white collar" work.
My dad taught me that there is no such thing as men's work and women's work.
My dad taught me that one's integrity is the most important thing one has.
My dad taught me that it is okay for men to cry.
My dad taught me that fascists are bad (and he should have known; he spent almost two years during World War II as a "guest" of the Germans in the POW camp that was the model for the film "Stalag 17")
My dad taught me that a healthy suspicion of authority is a good thing - not to flout authority just for the sake of doing so, but to question authority because those who possess the trappings of authority are not always wise.
In other words, he taught me that blind faith and blind obedience are not good things.
My dad taught me to love baseball.
My dad taught me to love science fiction.
My dad tried to teach me to change the oil on the car, but it didn't quite take.
My dad also tried to teach me how to garden, but that didn't quite work out, either.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
My dad taught me that being smart was ok, but it wasn't the most important thing.
He taught me that honesty was important, and that it was never too late to start being honest, even if you had made mistakes in the past.
He taught me that it was OK to disagree with him, as long as it wasn't about anything he cared about
He taught me that violence wasn't ever an answer to seek, but that it was OK to use as long as you tried to get away first, and weren't the one starting it.
He taught me that planning everything may not be the most fun in the world, but it beats not having anything planned.
He taught me that just because someone said you were dumb didn't mean you were, and that no one...not even yourself...knows what you are truly capable of until you try it.
He taught me to value everyones opinions, but to listen to my own when deciding what to do.
He taught me that you can be proud of a son even if you don't have a lot in common with him, and that it was important to show your son that.
And he taught me that being a man has less to do with physical violence and more to do with becoming someone who can think and act for themselves, regardless of public opinion.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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My dad taught me there are times to be silent My dad taught me that there are some times when I hurt too much to help others and that is when I need to go back to my roots/family. He taught me to make myself available for friends in need. He taught me that it's okay to be wrong, and it's not okay to blame someone else for my stupid mistakes. He taught me that sometimes I just need to listen (as opposed to fixing another's problems). He taught me that a hug can make you feel better. He taught me that he would NEVER give up on me.
Posts: 45 | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
My dad is the most kind and gentle man I know. He is quiet, very funny, and expresses himself very well with an economy of words. To try to explain his style would not even come close to doing it justice.
My dad reminds me of what a rift there is between the baby boomers and my generation X and below. He doesn't swear or curse. Maybe the occasional sh*t but NEVER does he take the Lord's name in vain. That impresses me very much. My dad was a hair dresser, a job that would stereotype him as gay or feminine. But my dad stands 6'2'', 180#, and looks like a cross between Burt Reynolds and Mr. Rodgers. He is anything but feminine, and his female customers worship him, still. His female doctor remarked that he has the body of a 16 year-old, and its true.
My wife comes from an unhappy home, with divorced parents who express much animosity. She loves my dad as much as a person can. And when my best friend, lover, and wife loves the same man the way I do, it is very special.
My dad did not make a lot of money at his job either. I grew up with my parents doing a lot of shopping at Salvation Army or Goodwill. But I had a special and wonderful childhood. I would not change a thing. But my mom becoming a teacher is what made our family able to afford some of the things I did in my later childhood, like making college a reality.
My dad never got mad, ever. I remember making him mad twice, and the one time he and I laughed about it immediately after. He was the most and is still the most patient man I know.
His father was a drunk and my dad hated his father. I think this motivated him to be the man he is today. He did not spin out words of wisdom often. But he always says,
"The main thing is to not get excited". This was advice given to him by his uncle, who he looked up to, and who lived to the ripe old age of 95. This was one of his secrets to long life...
In closing, there is not another person in this world who I respect and love more than my father.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I can't give examples of things my father taught me per se, but I can offer some general statements. I think my father gave me a good example of how a man should act (in regards to work, family, and life in general). In some ways, I wish I was a lot more like him. In other ways, I'm glad I'm somewhat different. Overally I have a lot of respect for my father.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
For the past ten years my dad sits in his motorized wheelchair, hardly able to speak, paralyzed on the right side of his body, and missing his left leg. He has endured multiple strokes and diabetes and a Jobian array of medical problems.
Yet I know few people who enjoy life as much as him, who laugh as often, who relish every meal and delight in the freedoms he grasps onto so adamantly. His tears only come when he cannot tell the grand stories that used to liven up every place he went.
I will tell you what he taught me when he is done teaching me, and I thank God every day that he isn't done yet.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
My Dad taught me to laugh, especially at myself.
My Dad taught me respect.
My Dad taught me hard work.
My Dad taught me how to be altruistic.
My Dad taught me golf and we got to play together every weekend up until he died.
My Dad taught me how to smile.
My Dad taught me how to be passionate about so many things.
Most importantly, my Dad taught me how to love. Now that I have a son of my own, I appreciate my Dad 100 times more and not a day goes by that I miss him.
Posts: 117 | Registered: May 2005
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