BareFootGuitar - Latest Comments on Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

james in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:49:56 +0000

I would tell my daddy Thank You for being a parent first & a friend second. Your guidance and love made me the man I am today. As a child it seemed like you were too tough on us because you would not let us stay out late at night. You had to know everywhere we were going and who we were with and that annoyed me then. We had to do chores to earn spending money, while other kids were just given money. Making us respect our elders.
We thought the rules you made were stupid when all of our friends did not have those silly rules. We could not have long hair, we had to tuck in our shirt tail, answer any question with Yes Mame or No Sir, Please & Thank you. We never felt like we could get away with anything. We never wanted for anything outside of a loving home with an abundance of food, clothing, shelter & more love than we could ever imagine.

That stern but loving guidance still sounds within my inner voice to this day and keeps me doing the right thing. I say, Thank you Daddy.

E.C. in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:58:49 +0000

My father died of cancer when I was 19, and my brother was 17. My father and I didn’t talk much because he and I never really got along.

If he was alive, I would tell him how much I could use his guidance now that I’m a grown man.

JB in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:31:02 +0000

I’d tell him he’s lucky I have a wife and kids, or else I would gladly visit upon him the violence he did to me, my mother, and my siblings.

Tom B in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:31:30 +0000

I got lucky some years back. My dad had a heart attack or two, a triple bypass, a cardiac stint, and a stroke. But he recovered his speech and movement.

And that close call had me dig through most of our remaining issues from my teenage or university years, to get to what mattered, and that wasn’t most of the stupid fights.

I told him that I loved him, but I think he expected that, being my father. I told him that he was one of the most honourable people I knew and that I was proud of him. That I don’t think he expected, but I think it touched him.

Now, 15 years later, he’s still hanging around (worse for wear, but life is like that). We chat most days over Skype (well, a phone on his end… computers are a challenging for him whereas rebuilding a 1935 Ford V8 wasn’t…). And I treasure those talks, even when he rambles on about people who I don’t know and who may have been dead 40 years and turns every conversation into one about bores, strokes, transmissions, etc.

I treasure them not because of what is in them - that’s not really my thing. I treasure them because of what they mean: We’re both here, we both share a strong bond of love, and we enjoy each other’s company and worry about each other. That’s the important thing.

Father’s Day saw me tell Dad the same thing I tell him every time we talk - take care and I love you.

There’s always things you wish were different in your life. I wish I’d been more the greasy-handed car nut or that Dad had been less of a perfectionist and more of a teacher. Or that Grandad had lived to see me succeed at post-secondary education, rather than dying while I was really struggling.

But those are the sorts of things that happen in a life. Lives aren’t the fantasy we’d create, they’re the reality we get. The trick is in figuring out what matters and learning how to take the good from each situation, even if that is a hard slog.

I love my Dad. I feel real sympathy for those who have had troubles - missing or problematic fathers. I hope those that still can will find a way to make a peace with their father. I hope those that can’t will find a way to make a peace with the memory of their father and to go on to a happy life.

Denise in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:14:16 +0000

I think of you every day, and I see you in my girls. I’ve had a great life, the only sadness being that you never had the chance to hold my daughters. You were a fantastic father, my greatest ally, and a wonderful friend. I miss talking to you, because you understood me in a way that no one else in the family ever did. It’s been hard being the outsider for the last 15 years, I miss my partner crime. Lastly, I wish I could hold your hand again, tell you that I love you again, and laugh at your jokes again. I miss the sound of your voice, the confidence you felt in my abilities, and the love and support you offered unconditionally. I love you, Daddy.

Phil in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:30:26 +0000

Still looking for you son, been 23 years.

Urinal Gum in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:28:26 +0000

I would say, on his voice mail, “Hap hap happy Father’s Day! You’re probably down at the nudist resort. I’m coming to visit you in September. I’m grilling some nicely marinaded steaks today. Isn’t it great that Izzo is staying at MSU? Well, give me a call. Love ya.”

In fact, this is what I did say.

Jack Phillips in response to: Dear Daddy, What would you say to your Dad today if you could

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:50:01 +0000

Things to thank my dad for:
1. Guitar - yes, you had crappy ones around and could barely play but it gave me the opportunity to try it out.

2. Love of a variety of music - John Prine, The Rolling Stones, Steve Earle, Jimmy Buffett-all the classics my friends never heard.

3. Teaching - tying a tie, tying shoes, how to deal with idiots.

Miss you Dad, this first father’s day without you.