Happy Father's Day, DU! Does anybody have any POSITIVE memories of their father to share?

I have several but the one that I remember most is, when I was a young boy, I had a nightmare. He came into the room, walked me downstairs and held me in his arms looking out the front window and reassured me until I wasn't scared anymore. Does anyone care to share anything that demonstrates the love of a father for his son or daughter?

to "The Cajun Bandstand" and drinking coffee, just the two of us. Everytime I hear cajun music, I feel like dad comes to sit beside me.

He couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but he didn't care. He'd sing as loud as he could, and play his air guitar. My fearful, awkward teenage self hated him for it at the time; didn't he know he was embarrassing himself (and me?) Now I love him for daring to do what he loved, and to hell with anyone who didn't like it.

I learned to love cars and planes. He used to take me flying in a Cessna 150 when I was in elementary school. Now he has a 1967 Corvette and a 2006 Corvette convertible. Now if he'd only let me drive them...

:-)

Happy Father's Day dad. I love you.

:hi: :) :hug:

wedges himself into those Corvettes. He didn't get the 2006 until he turned 70, and he loves it all the more.

:)

:) Dad's a recovering alcoholic (he's 76 now), and he drank up until he was in his mid-60s. However, he was never abusive, and for that I am thankful. He had other problems too, but when I was growing up, he loved us (still does) and we loved him (still do).

My father taught me that pets were very special. He instilled in me a respect for animals and love for them. Dad was never allowed to have pets as a kid, and any pet that he or his siblings brought home was either destroyed :cry: or given away. :cry: He always wanted a dog and a cat, and it was only when he had children of his own that he really got to experience that. My parents got a dog, a mutt named Quarter (a quarter of this breed, a quarter of that), when I was born. I grew up with Quarter, and there is a pic of me with this great dog. When I was in my teens, Dad said that having Quarter was the first time he'd ever been allowed to love a dog for longer than a couple of days. He always said that children should have pets, both to show kids love and respect for animals but to teach them responsibility. When I was about six, Dad asked me if I was ready to take care of the family pets on my own. (My sister and brother were younger, so they were not really ready.) I said yes, and I was thrilled to do it. :D We had three cats and a dog, and when I got up in the morning, I let the dog out and fed him. I fed the cats and cleaned the cat box when it was time. Yeah, I wasn't perfect about it, but I tried very hard, and my parents helped me. (My mother always said pets were a lot of trouble, but I found out later that she loved them as much as we did.)

The types of pets we had were dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, kangaroo rats, white mice, and even a baby squirrel that had fallen out of a tree in our back yard. I wanted a king snake when I was about ten, but my mother drew the line at reptiles. :( The experiences I had with pets when I was growing up really solidified my love for animals, and the pets I've had since then have benefitted from Dad's early instruction. He got as much out of those pets as we did, and I love him for it.

I love you, Dad. :) :hug: :loveya:

Your father sounds truly special. Lucky pets. Lucky you. :)

:hi: :hug: He had a very difficult early life, and he was providing the majority of his family's support by the time he was 15. I don't fault him for anything that resulted from such a hard childhood. :) He means well, and he is indeed a special guy. :D

We had driven out from Banff for the day. Toward the end of the day, we pulled off at a vista. There was a trailhead leading to a falls, about two miles roundtrip. My Mom, brother and sister were in that see one waterfall, seen them all mood. So just dad and I made the hike. I still remember the elk we saw, the lush vegetation around the falls, the cool damp freshness of the air. It was something only he and I shared. I think of that walk often.

I have the same memories flying with my dad. My mother refused to go and my sister's weren't interested. :)

Probably just playing ball with my Dad when I was a kid.

and play catch. I also remember stopping for footlongs after our Little League games and how he would tell us his memories of the Yankee teams of his youth.

...my dad would take us with him when he went to the gas station (or filling station, as they were called back then in the days of land yachts and cheap gas). At this one station, the guy who ran it would give me and sister both a big pretzel rod from a jar--you've seen those jars in delis. On the way home my dad would take a bite from each before letting us eat them, and we'd be very upset we couldn't have the whole thing! (Even then we had food issues!)

Easily, the greatest blessing of my life was to grow up in a family in which we liked each other. Lots of families have 'love', but I feel lucky that we 'liked' one another and wanted to spend time together.

One little memory I have of my dad would be having goodie bags for me. Once I moved out of their house, I went to folks' every Sunday for dinner. When I left in the evening my dad would always say that he had a couple things for me. It was just a grocery store bag of odds and ends that he found when he had been out shopping-- always some fruit, paper towels, a newspaper from a random city, holiday oreos or m&m's, cat toys, band-aids, etc. It's amazing how a few treats can brighten your whole day!


:loveya: Miss You Daddy! :loveya:

Thanks for sharing that!

there was a whipporwill outside my window that woke me up in the middle of the night.

I started crying because it scared me. Dad came in and explained it was "just an old whipporwill calling".

I couldn't say whipporwill, I called it a wheelbarrow(?!) and said it sounded really "scary".

So Dad goes outside in his undershorts at about 2:00 in the morning and threw rocks at it to make it fly away.



I miss my Daddy. :cry:

Our fathers were both good at that!

My little nephews have started out in the world with a distinct advantage -- loving, hard-working, completely devoted fathers who are very much involved in their upbringing.

But one moment always stands out. We'd looked at a horse one summer but couldn't take him at the time. When we heard he was available again, our situation had changed and we called up and told them we'd take him without looking again. The plan was for me to ride him home, about 25 miles or so cross country. I was 15.

When we got there, the horse was completely different. The people who'd taken him hadn't been experienced and he was hard to catch, head shy (indicating they'd hit him), jumpy, nervous, anxious and almost impossible to get on. He was terrified of men - my dad couldn't get near him.

It took me about 3/4 of an hour just to catch him, patiently talking him down while my dad talked to the group of guys who'd gathered. When they realized what the plan was, they were aghast, warned him the horse was dangerous, that he'd thrown all of them multiple times, etc.

One of them said, "You're going to let that little girl ride that monster all that way by herself?!"

And my dad said calmly, "Sure. She can do it." And I did.

My dad has always had the utmost confidence in my abilities. That's a great gift. Happy Father's Day, dad. :hi:

But, I will share this with all of you. We had a family of nine. And every year, my father, along with his full-time job, would take on two part time jobs as well for a few months, so that he could take the family on a yearly two week vacation.

:cry:

I was a daddy's girl. He died when I was 13, and my life got really fucked up after that. I miss those younger years when our family was still somewhat normal.

My fondest memories as a little girl were sitting in the crook of his arm on the couch watching "King Kong vs Godzilla" and giggling while he made up voices for dubbing of the Japanese guys, or the original silent Nosferatu on PBS, making fun of the guy who ate flies.

i could have written that post except for the fact that my father is still living. things changed as he rose up the corporate ladder and we moved every year.
unitl i was 13 i had the best dad in the world. as he immersed himself in his career we lost him, in a way that devastated our family to its very core. we never quite recovered although we limped along in denial.
sorry about your father:hug:

kingkong vs godzilla:thumbsup:
i

At least mine had a good excuse. Cancer. Although I do begrudge him the cigarettes. Stupid.

It's sad that some men get so caught up in "providing for the family" that they lose sight of what's really important.

While my mother painted my dad as the designated family villain for years and years and years, even after they divorced and he was long out of our lives, I can see in looking back that it was my dad, not my mom, who respected my individuality as a person, who took my interests seriously. I was passionate about all kinds of things as a kid: animals of all sorts, astronomy, geology & paleontology, science fiction, etc. It was my dad who would occasionally bring home a fossil seashell, shark's teeth, and other little items that encouraged my interests; it was my dad who taught me how to use a telescope and microscope, who made an effort to help me find food for my snakes and lizards. My mom, on the other hand, always had the dismissive attitude toward me of, "That's just a stupid phase that she'll grow out of." 30 years later, she's still waiting for me to "grow out of it." Though my mother turned it into a calamity at the time, I don't blame my dad anymore for leaving when he did; my only question is why he didn't escape sooner.

My father was an abuser.

and I realized again this morning just how similar my son's sense of humor is to Dad's, even though they're not biologically related.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. :)

He was a wonderful, wonderful man and I miss him very much.

I wrote about him here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=6623294&mesg_id=6623294

fell in love with each other. He lives in the Midwest so I seldom saw him. But, when he came out here, our favorite thing to do was go have long and often sodden lunches that lasted for hours and into Happy Hour, lol. He also loved to drive and we'd take long, long drives on back roads.

I took my two boys to meet him and we had a wonderful visit. We went to his hunting lodge, played poker. The beer didn't come out until after he taught us how to shoot. That is the only time I've ever handled a gun. :scared:

I adore my Dad. :loveya:

it was a long time ago and he was playing in a dump but we really enjoyed it. Years later I was volunteering at a place where Randy N. was going to appear and my parents were driving over for the concert that night. Surprisingly Newman and his wife were walking around there in the afternoon and I interrupted them to tell him how much my dad and I liked his work and that they were driving over for the evening's concert. He very graciously asked me if my dad had a favorite song and asked what his name was. I picked one of the songs and sure enough, Randy dedicated it to my dad that evening, who got a kick out of it.

Both were very sweet memories, and I'll always be a fan of Randy Newman.

He's only 70 so I expect to have him around for a long, long time. I have a great time with him and my mother and, except for the normal family hassles, all my memories are positive -- and we're still making them!

was when I was about five years old and apparently in my mother's hair. ;)
I was banished outside, to tag along behind my Dad, as he worked in the yard.
He was irritated with all my gardening questions, I remember, and then called
me over to the backyard and he handed me a small shovel and asked ME if I
wanted my own garden!! Wow!! I actually got to decide!!! He helped me dig
a garden in the shape of a triangle (my choice) and he helped me plant seeds!!
I was so proud when my flowers started coming up!! He made me feel special! ;)

Also I remember that same backyard where he built a skating rink for us kids. (7)
He'd get out there with us and skate after dinner on school nights!!
I think now, he built it for fear we'd skate on the local pond, but it was cool!!

My dad and I were in a small town in Tennessee. We were "outsiders." After some girl there came on to me her boyfriend sucker punched me as I was taking a leak in the restroom.

Being a lover, it was out of character for me to act like I did for the next 30 minutes, tempers flared.

My dad and I stayed up with 6+ dudes trying to take us out.

Naturally, being outsiders we were arrested and everyone else went back in bar.

From the cell next to me my dad says, "This night is going to cost me, but damn Son! I didn't know you had it in you."

Memories...

:patriot:

Only you...

:rofl:

and see what we can stir up :)

The Wine List Reads...
-Light beer
-Bottled beer
-Regular beer
-Draft beer

As for music..
b-82 is If Bubba Can Dance

:rofl:

almost all of 'em involve baseball, and I hate baseball because he forced it on me.

Probably my favorite was the weekend I went home from college to tell my folks I was hoping to go to seminary and be ordained. My dad took me out to dinner--just the two of us. He wanted to remind me that everyone has a vocation--ordained or not--and shared memories of his parents working hard on the farm when he was a kid. He said he made a conscious decision to help people like his parents have an easier time of farm work. In time, he saw this as a vocation to design farm equipment.

Finally, he asked me to think long and hard about whether ordained ministry was my vocation. And, he promised, if I could honestly say it was, he would do all he could to help me towards ordination.

And thus he did.

when he got re-married.

We got along great after that until he died.

Redstone

It's too bad so many years elapsed before that happened.

My dad was an electrician, and he always took me out on jobs with him on weekends. It was his way of teaching me a trade, in the knowledge that no matter what else I did, I'd never have to go hungry. We'd always have a breakfast at a diner to start those days. There was a lot of wisdom passed down across those tables.

He was, along with my mother, a world class spoiler of the family pets.

He died back in '75 when I was finishing up my third class year at the Merchant Marine Academy. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him.

He was a carpenter and we helped him on weekends and during the summer. I might have gone into that field if a guidance counselor hadn't convinced me to go to college. At the time, I was living in Florida and jobs in the construction industry weren't really plentiful anyway so college seemed like a good option. I did have many positive experiences working with my father those days and I am happy we had the chance. I'm glad you feel the same about your Dad.

I only had 2 pairs of pants to wear to school (there were 5 kids and a short budget) and one morning my dad saw me crying because one of them had holes and I felt really self-conscious. When I got home from school that afternoon my dad and my sister had gone to the store and bought me 2 new pairs of pants. It's a dorky story but thinking about it makes me tear up.

I knew that feeling. Not having any clothes to wear.

What a thoughtful, loving and kind Dad you have!

about it....
It resonates with love......


great story.....

lost

He was a wonderful father. I miss him terribly.

My parents are both very busy people, especially my father, and when I do get to see them it's usually for a very brief time.

The best memory was on my 16th birthday. He had been oversees for the past week and was expected out of town for another two weeks. My mother told me that morning she would pick me up from school and we were to go shopping that evening. After school let out, I walked outside to see both my parents standing there in front of a brand new car. He flew half way across the world just to spend a few days with me and give me my gift. He tossed me the keys and told me to have fun.

....I saw Europe riding in a "special seat" on my dad's back!

He is probably without a doubt, my hero.

He raised a family of five, worked hard, is a good husband to my mother (57 years married now). All of us kids turned out to be fairly successful, and I place that achievement solely on his being our role model.

He was a Marine veteran of Korea, a Democratic precinct chair, and thought John F. Kennedy could walk on water. Labor man all the way, even though he was white-collar most of his working life.

Dad is still sharp as a tack, even though his health has not been the greatest these last few years.

I am lucky to be his son.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.

I don't think a father could ask for any better gift than that!

or tried to (I thought somebody was harassing me by phone because I kept getting calls and nobody leaving messages, long story)

He wanted to thank me for the card I gave him. Mind you, he doesn't like talking to anybody on the phone.

He was a dj and musician so he was always making jokes and playing music. He used to let me go to work with him and hang out in the FM studio playing 45's.
He's passed away but I can remember happy stuff for Fathers Day.. I think I'll listen to the Beatles for him :loveya:

drummer...jazz drummer
one night he set his drums up in our living room
cranked up the record player and
played his heart out

It was the one and only time I ever got to hear him play......

I also know that one christmas eve he was in the toy store and BEGGED the guy
behind the counter to sell him an Easy Bake Oven he had on hold for someone.....
the store was going to close in 1/2 hour so my Dad waited till the last minute and bought it for me......

UUMMM I mean SANTA got it..... :)

My Dad died in 1982.......
I have good and bad memories... but the good always wins.....

lost

There are so many wonderful memories.....
THANK YOU ALL
for sharing.... :)


I hope you, like me got to tell our Dads what they meant to us...
One night we talked and I told him....
He loved me, my brothers and sister and my future husband.......
not to mention my son, his grandson
My daughter never got to meet him
but I know for a fact she would have been
his whole world......

damn......


lost

was something that was both positive and sad at the same time.

she was very sick and he took care of her every need. always there, day or night.

i've never been really close to my dad, we talk on the phone regularly, but it is just chit chat usually.

i love my dad though

My father approached me about buying the crappy yellow Vega
with the smashed in front quarter panel owned by the guy
across the street from us.

He made me a deal -- he'd loan me $300 bucks if I could come
up with the other $300 of the $600 that our neighbor was
asking for the car. "It's a good deal", he told me.

I was 17 and I needed the car to get to the crappy community
college I was planning to go to, so I gave him the $300 bucks
and he arranged the sale. I paid him the other $300 over the summer.

Well, I drove that car for about a year, and one day, as I
parked it across the street, the guy who used to own it happened
to be out mowing his lawn. He turned off his mower and said,
"I can't believe that car is still running! I thought it was a
total loss after ...




















...your father pulled out of the driveway and crashed into it
last year!"

My dad was a practical joker of the FIRST WATER!

and fought the good fight for workers rights among truck drivers. He kept fighting, even though he knew it would cost him his job. His fight was immortalized in case law that is cited in many anti-union cases nationwide.

He was even made fun of at the time for taking the company to the Labor Relations Board, and ultimately to Federal Court - I remember him telling some guys at the cafe downtown: "All you old farts sitting around here drawing your retirement benefits - they didn't give 'em to you because they like you - SOMEBODY had to fight for it"

After all that, 16 years later, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals found for my father, and he and his former co-workers got every penny of backpay that was coming to them. Then the company that had fired them closed their doors and filed bankruptcy.

He is a good man, and a dedicated Democrat. Happy Father's Day. I love you, Daddy.

Here's my son, me, and my dad. He's telling a 'you mean....to tell ME?' story about CDL testing.

THIS is the picture I was looking for earlier. My dad and me, circa 1979.

Excellent story! My drove a truck as an independant for the longest time. He became an owner-operator for Schneider and died on the road in '94.

I do know the "'you mean..to tell ME" stories. hehe

I made a thread earlier in the day that got little air time but thought I'd share it with you just for the vibe of it all. Its just a bunch of trucker songs that my dad liked.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6623148

I realized I'll never be as good a person. My father is one of the most hard working, loving, intelligent people I know. There's no way I can ever be what he is, because I don't want to. Too much responsibility, too much expected of you when you're that great a man.
My Dad worked 16 hours a day to feed his family. But when he could he made sure he spent time with me, because he knew I needed a father. And anytime he spent with me was gold because I knew it was a struggle for him.
The best way to describe him is this example... he once hired a lesbian with a shaved head and doc boots, the whole stereo type. Guys that worked with him asked him why he would do that because it could drive away customers. Dad, explained he didn't want money from such people anyway. Then promptly stopped socializing with the bigots. Not bad for a guy raised in the 50s. Even more amazing was his father, who declared bankruptcy after co-signing on something for a friend and getting fucked over. Grandpa never blamed the man because he was just trying to take care of his family... and after bankruptcy, still paid back all of his creditors.


ANother good story about my pops. When he ran for office a prominent local...dude... wrote a letter to the paper saying which candidates he thought were the best. He wrote glowing terms about Dad. But my dad asked to be taken off the letter before he wrote in because he didn't feel it was fair that he get this recommendation when there were perfectly good candidates left off.

He'd hold me up in the air and I'd stretch out my hands pretending to be an airplane.

My Dad's better cuz he eats Kennel Ration, My Dad's better than your's.

You know that song from the old Kennel Ration dog food commercials. We changed it and sang it for Dad for father's day when I was still a kidlet. We wrote the words on a "theatre program" that we gave him. He has it framed next to his bed to this day....almost 50 years later.

Gawd I'm spoiled.

And we didn't have worms. I figured since I like cheddar cheese that fish must like it to so my great idea was to go fishing with cheese. (I was 5 so stop laughing at me! I know you are!) Instead of telling me no and it wasn't going to work he sat with me at the pond across the street while I dangled a fishing rod with cheddar cheese on it until I got tired of not catching any fish. Very patient man.

Going out on Sunday morning to the Jewish bakery for bagels and onion rolls. (Back then only choices were egg or seeded (implied poppy)).
Stopping in the deli for smoked salmon and lox (sliced thin)..
Then his squeezing fresh orange juice with hand squeezer, and the four of us (He, I, my mom, and my brother) having a nice Sunday breakfast, which of course also included scrambled eggs or an omelet.

(No more lox for me now (I'm veggie), I miss it a lot).