Got word last Thursday that my dad died of a heart-attack - he was 61.
Reason I'm posting this is partly due to the need to talk about it, and not really having a close enough friend to talk about it with without blubbering (I'm 38 - not a pretty sight to see).
BUT - I see this as some sort of grieving process, and wanted to post this mainly to get some discussion going about your dads - good or bad memories.
Something to hopefully make us all think, and inspire us (well, the rest of you that is) to give him a call, or perhaps to make us who already are, into better dads.
So what's your best (or worst, if you must) memory of your father?
Mine was when I was 9 years old. I got my first fishing rod for my birthday, and from then on, I was allowed to go fishing with dad - just him and me, all night long. That was when I first truly started to "bond" with my dad. Man, I'm going to miss him.
Now to put this into practice with my 3 girls, I guess.
Ah, forums - great stuff for hiding the tears.
And please, no commiserations (thanks for the thought). Let's use this thread to commemorate our dads.
having my dad there when i made my first hundred at cricket (and my second). and that every town we moved to while growing up, he was instantly the local footy hero. <3 daddy.
heh, when i was growing up my dad was too busy working to spend time with me, so i guess i dont have many, but last night when i stopped off to get something he started giving me food and muffins for lunch today, a few years ago i would have laughed if i said to myself he would do that for me, its funny how times change as we get older.
likewise xaine, fishing with mine. long nights spent knee-deep in water along a sandbar with a hand reel. not a word spoken (or bite for that matter) for hours, but then, you knew you didn't need to. good times.
Heh read this post and really couldn't think of anything :| But I guess despite all the troubles and problems that have happened no matter how bad, at the end of the day he's always been there for me.
When I was 17 my parents split up. The next couple years were a couple of the hardest I have faced in my short life. While understanding and surrounded by a great support group, this was still extremely hard to deal with - my family was picture perfect in my eyes, and this perception was smashed into more pieces that I could count.
My father and I sat out front of his new house in Adelaide upon my move back to Adelaide (my retreat to familiar territory, I guess), where I broke down into tears expressnig my sympathy for his position and the distress the event had caused me, and he followed with some tears of his own.
He shared some words of wisdom with me, that quite simlpy changed my life and how I approach it. They are words I live by, and since then I make every effort to stroll through my every-day with a smile on my face.
He's my greatest friend and regardless of his wrongs I could only ever hope to be as great a man and as great a father as he.
Ive never meet a dad like my dad who can scare and twist anyone into what he wants, hes just an amazing business man / microbiologist.
good thing : Hes taught me so much in my tennis life and my schooling life that im also studying hard to make him proud of the time and effort he put into me
bad thing : he missed about 6-7 of my birthdays due to him been in sydney for business.
good quote : when i was 15 and he knew i was screwing my gf. "remember chris, if your un-sure, Always use 2 condoms". still cracks me up
My dad tought me everything I needed to know to get started in computers. I have fond memoires of him helping build my first computer then trouble shotting IRQ conficts(them were the days) when it wasn't working correctly. My dads a trekkie and used to get into great debates while watching startrek(I was always a bit of a nerd and spent most of school studing physics). The biggest scare and most stressful time of my life was when my dad was in ICU for months after a near fatal car acceddient.
i got my boat back off the old man last night and went fishing this morning and i found heaps of things wrong with the boat, missing tackle, stuff in the wrong place, esky broken. i was going to ring him and give him what for, then i thought about all the things that i have borrowed and lost or broken of his and thought, i am still way ahead :)
I have more respect for my old man than any other person on the planet. He is always there when I need him, he mows my lawn (Serious, comes round when Im at work and does it then so I cant tell him off). When my mum left it cut him up. The worst thing that I can remember is seeing him sitting watching tv with tears running down his face and knowing that I was unable to help him. I gave up a lot for him just so that he didnt have to be alone at home (This still brings a tear to my eye. ) and this has never bothered me as I know that if ever I need him he would do the same for me.
RIP, must be hard for you. Sympathetic, almost empathetic, I talked to my grand dad last month on the phone, I was the last one, he died after that in his sleep (aged 92). I went the funeral in QLD, it helps. Peace.
Fathers are the most important thing in a sons life, all you want to do is make them proud. Me and my old man aren't that close, but that is due to stuff out of my control unfortunately.
My most memorable moment was when he found out i was successful in getting an IT traineeship with the government.
Actually it was when i caught my first Barra! It was tiny, i cried so hard when i had to throw it back. I caught it in Yellow Waters at Kakadu.
I don't see my dad much any more, but I remember when I was little he was always the second option for an almost guaranteed yes if my mum said no :P And my sister and I were always eager to go to the corner shop with him to get milk/bread/newspaper because we always got to buy all the lollies we could with the change :)
Quote from HeReTiC: That was really beautiful rec. not kidding. True, it makes me feel bad for not seeing mine as much :(
And for morgue, my dad fell through a roof last year and did some serious damage to his back - doctors said he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. That was a big wake up call for me. Glad he survived it, and is still walking.
Quote from Minorci: How funny is it to see ones old man pissed drunk :) Getting on the turps with your old man makes for interesting times haha. yes my old man is worse then me on the grog clackers and i had my old man on the sumbuca one night and it was halarious something i need to do again me thinks
But my dad is my living hero, in every single way. He and his brothers (im not exaggerating) all grew up together practically without parents. His mum put them all in a foster home situation and left them there.
He grew up with nothing and never had support. He has worked every single day of his life, trying to give his kids (thats me btw), everything he never had. I have so much respect and love for my old man, just cant express it in words really.
The moments i will remember most; are the nights we spent knocking back stubbies, playing Poker with the neighbours, while mum was off in Europe on holidays. Also when he taught me how to strip an engine, rebuild it and put it back in the car =) That and seeing my pops start crying when I moved back to Darwin =)
He's also a very hard, but very fair man. He once told me and my sister : "If you tell me the truth when you have done something wrong, you will not get in as much trouble". The very next day, I walked up to him: Me - "Dad..you know how you said that if we told the truth, we wouldnt get in as much trouble?" Dad - "Umm...Yes? Why what have you done?" Me - "...My bike is in the Spa.."
He was too busy with his fits of laughter, to punish me :p
I didn't have the best relationship with my dad when I was younger. God my life went awesome when my parents split up...
Both of them became 10x better people. I really think parents splitting up is a lot better then two people who dont love each other staying together "for the kids" Happy parents are good parents.
Anyway I have a much better relationship with my dad now, combination of me growing up and him growing up.
Quote from SperO: Both of them became 10x better people. I really think parents splitting up is a lot better then two people who dont love each other staying together "for the kids" Happy parents are good parents.
It's good, provided they both want it. If one of them doesn't, then it turns bitter.
Me - "Dad..you know how you said that if we told the truth, we wouldnt get in as much trouble?" Dad - "Umm...Yes? Why what have you done?" Me - "...My bike is in the Spa.."
He was too busy with his fits of laughter, to punish me :p ROFL. I dont blame him.
First of all -sorry to hear Xaine - its not something i hope to deal with for a few years. yet
My dad left when i was aroun 5 or 6, still love him - but it took a while to get over he left doesnt he love me thing when i was way young. Out of me and my sister i am the only one who talks to our dad.
The surrogate fathers ( step dad and other peoples dads) ended up either crazy (step dad) or running of with other friends moms.....so never really had a father figure.
It has taken a long time to get over all of that, and to the point where I want to spend time with my dad and enjoy the time when we do ( on or off the golf course) and wouldnt swap it for anything.
With my old man I never thought i had much of a relationship with him till after I finished year 12, got my IT traineeship and entered the real world.
We never had heaps of money but i didnt find that out till much later when he just finalized my sisters and myselfs school fees last year (private school) I finished in 1999 and sister in 2002.
Addition to that my old man said he wont retire until my sister gets through university doing law, helping her with some payments not all of it. theres still values to teach :)
As i think about the past my dad was superman because he never showed weakness when times were hard. I was so shocked when he told me because i wouldnt of picked it. you see how much they have to give up because they want the best for you and we had every thing a young person could want; thats sacrifice.
I dont have anything i can think off the top of my head that was one thing. But taking me fishing for the first time as a young taka at rapid creek, showed me how to setup a rig, didnt catch anything. Taking me to jet shows and being my coach through my hockey and golf years.
I think back to my high school year I thought then he was giving me a hard time, but really he was just keeping me on track. I wouldnt be where i am without him and only thing I still have on my list to tell him is that i love him.
My dad and I arnt the most cushy cushy type ppl and it will be kinda hard to say it but i think it something for every son especially to say, it will mean more.
sorry for blabbing on, i could of written so much more but i wont hehe.
I never really shared much time with my dad but I still love him and still have the upmost respect for him. My best memory with my dad was when he taught me how to build a computer and he helped me build a gaming computer.
My worst was when my parents split and I didnt hear from my dad for 9-10 month he didnt even say good bye (It is still a touchy topic between him and me) but I have a good relationship with him as a result and he is the one person who I can talk to no matter the topic and he wont judge me.
My dad was aways there for me when I was down and he is the only reason I am not in jail or dead because he taught me all my life lessons too keep me safe ( and I thought he was just beening a hard ass to stop me having fun) and I can never truely pay him back but I will alway love him.
It is always a good time when you have a few drinks with your dad and it always make for a good conversation, Sorry to blab. Just one last thing man just treasure the good moments you had with him and remember he is never truely dead as long as you hold a fond memory for him Xaine. RIP
yeah i wish i could get blotto with dad but we havent got there yet, close but not cigar.
i remember the first time he came home one night from a golf presentation and he was pissed of his rocka. he tried to walk in looking straight (i was 15 at the time) but it didnt work. he said to me im just heading to bed and then smashed into a chest near the hall entrance. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! that was some funny sh17.
Next morning i woke up to my sisters crying and saying to my auntie *dad hugging the toilet bowl* "is dady going to die?" and my auntie responded "NO HE'S JUST DRUNK" classic.