.

Happy, sad, hilarious, or whatever, what are some times that have stuck with you this long?

Or, just tell us a little about your dad. For most of you who know me, this is my soft spot. Dads are the best.

Happy Father's day to all.

For those of us who didn't have Dad around, I'd love to hear of any stories with you and a father figure. Grandpa, an uncle, stepdad, neighbor, etc.

No exclusivity here.

I don't have a lot of good memories of my dad because he's kind of a jerk. Any good memories I have are really small in comparison to people that have decent fathers. The one thing that stands out in my mind is when he sang Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" really loud while driving me home. He was drunk, of course, but it was still a good memory.

Okay, my last post was a downer and I know that's not what this thread is supposed to be about. So I'll add a positive memory. I've always felt my Uncle Tommy was more of a father figure to me. I used to live next door to him for the first 5 years of my life. One day he was making a corner cabinet out of wood. He was staining it and I asked if I could help, which he let me. He told me that he would give me that cabinet when I got married since I seemed to appreciate it so much. 25 years later and he still has the cabinet waiting for me. It's sad that I'm not married yet but still sweet that he still remembers.

JuliePurplehead said:

I love stuff like that. And y'know, I feel similar toward my mom like you do your dad, but him singing Aretha is exactly what I'm talking about. Nobody's childhood is completely free of horrible memories, but it's the small stuff like that--I'm glad we remember these things.

Like I mentioned in Muse's thread, it's never the big, expensive gifts or trips that we seem to recall (if applicable). It's the random, small things that likely weren't even done so they'd stick with us at the time. Sometimes it's just when we felt safe, or loved.

Most of my favorite memories consist of nothing more than spending time with him, playing catch or trading jokes.

I can't really pick one story, so I'll tell you a bit about my father, or as I call him, Pa. When I was younger, I always felt that I was very different from my parents….the way I behaved, the things that I believed… everything! But I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older and my relationship with my parents has become more of a friendship, I’ve realized that I’m the female version of my father He has a loud speaking voice, he’s extremely outgoing, he’s very stubborn when he starts arguing about something, he curses like a sailor (but only when my mother isn’t around ), he is a BIG fan of music, mostly Latin music, but he gets down with jazz and blues and soul music too, and he’ll eat just about anything



He moved to Manhattan from the Dominican Republic when he was 15 years old, so I kinda see him as a good mix of a Dominican farmer and a straight up New Yorker. He can be really country sometimes, Dominican style of course.And even though we’ve lived in the northern suburbs of NYC for about 20 years, he still workin’ his Brooklyn accent. He’s full of stories, especially ones that involve goats () and of him being tortured by his older brothers when they were growing up.Sometimes his stories are a combination of the two BTW, he’s one of a family of 13 children. I can go on and on about my father, but really, at the age of 53, the man is still just a big kid. I love him
[Edited 6/13/08 17:53pm]

My Dad was a Golf pro - I sometimes drove his Golf Cart as a very young teen.
I guess I was a crazy driver cuz he would laugh and tell me to slow down or I would scare the old folks

I really love my Dad A LOT

My Dad is an awesome man! There are a million wonderful things I could say about him...from him pretending on Sundays that he needed to 'suit' up because the Broncos needed him! To us fishing by the river! My Dad is such a great man, and I truly love him with my whole heart!

He is one 'Cool Cat' as he would say!!

i remember my dad was fixing the screen door one summer day and i was telling him what a bitch my stepmom was and that he should divorce her.

My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at a very young age. He had had it for many years by the time I came along. He was (and is) incredibly disciplined. He did walking exercises every night (with weights) and practiced positive visualization (he would picture himself running) to stave off the disease as much as he could. And he never missed work. He was able to retire a year and a half early (his company allowed sick time to accumulate) because he never called in sick. We never had a whole lot of money growing up, but we always had what we needed, and his example of what a work ethic is has really served me well in life.

my dad was a softie on the inside

one example= i was playing him my wedding video when my noisy sister entered the room- dad stood up- and in a gruff voice said "i didnt want to watch it anyway" and left the room.
We found him, downstairs under a tree crying
he knew a part that was a dedication to his mum (my nan) was coming up. she passed away the day b4 my wedding.

he would give anyone his last $ - help anyone with car problems- and without saying it- loved me- my two sisters and my mum- no end.

he passed away 2 yrs ago- after a brave battle with cancer- and i miss him dearly


i just thought of something else- every time my sister moved out of home- and mum said she wasnt allowed back- she'd wait til dad was alone- and twist his arm- he never needed much twisting
[Edited 6/13/08 19:45pm]

JessieJ said:

God, twelve siblings. Thanks so much for sharing all of this. What a cool guy.

Mach said:

It's great when they let us experience a little danger. Mine never did. Too cool. Sidenote--I was banned from driving my shop teacher's golf cart in high school for driving it around in the girl's gym during a PE class.

Well my Dad lived with me until i was around 17/18 yrs old, but its almost like he wasn't there..I mean he took care of me finacially, saw that i had all i needed material wise, but wasn't there for me emotionally, I belive he was jealous of the relationship i had with my mother (kinda of like he wasn't the only man in her life anymore) and my mother confirmed this recently.. but i do i have one fond memory of him. I was about 10 yrs old and i cut my hand really bad and it was just him and I in the house and he comforted me because i was really shaken.

MoniGram said:

Love it. He sounds like a funny, compassionate guy.


CUTE!

horatio said:

, again

my dad is one who always believed in me
and still does
always encouraging and great sense of humor
i lucked out in the parents department

happy fathers day dad!

Efan said:

Just WOW. Thanks for taking the time to share this. What a remarkably determined man, and what a fantastic example for you. Thank goodness his company did that--he definitely deserved his early retirement.

I remember the time that I was about 15 and all of my family was sitting around the dinner table one evening. I accused him of cheating on my mom with the mother of one of my sister's friends. Lots of yelling and screaming ensued. Then he told me that my mom had wanted to have an abortion when she found out she was pregnant with me.

prb said:

Oh, man. This story hits my heart so hard. An incredible dad. For you. It's all I can say right now without losing it. Please forgive me.

Xcalibre said:

I can't imagine what learning that felt like. It happened to my best friend recently and I wanted to slug the family member who let it slip.

banks said:

I'm so sorry that he couldn't push away his jealousy of you and your mother's relationship. All too common. It's great that despite your knowing this, you can still recollect a time where he made you feel comforted and cared for.

INSATIABLE said:

thank you.

shausler said:

Because of them, your children also lucked out big time. You're a great dad--it's evident merely from the way you speak of them alone.

Again, I hope you have the best Father's Day yet.

My Dad was a total badass. He made a bunch of money, had everything wrongfully taken away from him, and then became more successful than ever. He only loved one woman in his life, and she died of a broken heart three years after he passed away.

My Dad was the kind of man that everyone wanted to lead them. Where ever he went or whatever he did, he ended up being the leader. He could have been governor if he wanted to run for office, but that was not for him.

I can only hope that I attain 10% of what he did.

RodeoSchro said:

RodeoSchro said:

Y'know, from what little I know about you, this remarkable man sounds a lot like yourself. He definitely passed down these qualities to you, my friend. From the few threads I've read about you and your family, it's obvious that you've had a great example in your father. Your kids are incredibly lucky.

He sounds a lot like my dad and his father. They're both incredibly driven and successful. My Opa (his dad) lost a large amount of stock money in the late 90s, and earned it all back (and then some) within years. He was also a charismatic salesman and jazz trumpeter/drummer. As for my dad, he juggles three jobs (two out of his home) and is very active in his local Lions Chapter, raising money for local charities. These notes are but grains of sand when it comes to their accomplishments and character, but I'll save other stuff for other posts if I'm so inclined.

Like you mentioned at the end of your post, I too can only hope to be a fraction of the people they both are (were, in Opa's case). Thanks so much for sharing.

INSATIABLE said:

Thank you. Your dad and granddad sound like great men!

And PRB, thank you, too!

INSATIABLE said:

My Dad was also a professional potographer and built an incredible dark room in our basement and taught me how to develope film and all that

I love and miss those days

Now I spend time showing him how to edit digital photos - he loves that as much as I loved the gift he gave me as a child

fond father-daughter time memories...

• riding around in the tractor with me perched behind his seat... he'd let me shift gears once in a while
  
  
• he would cross his legs and i would use his cowboy boot as my saddle... giddy up!
  
  
• when he would nap on the couch i would take that opportunity to crawl into the triangular space his legs would make to either read or nap along with him
  
  
• sunny afternoons on the livingroom floor when he would lay down and "let" me shave him with the electric razor
  
  
• coolest gift he ever bought us... long before it was "in" for girls to play hockey - he bought a hockey net and each of us a stick with our names on it. lol too bad his girly girls weren't that keen on learning how to play.
  
  
• i know now that we are quite a bit alike but wouldn't have admitted that ten years ago. i was so angry with him for some hair brained idea that i got into the truck and SLAMMED the door. dust rained down on us he just chuckled lol.
  
  
• oh yeah, he's always got some hair brained idea hatching

he can be a right ass sometimes but he's a good man.
for insatiable