I remember a distinct time being in the basement of our house in Markham, Ontario when I was six years old. On the walls, delightful wood paneling and the floors were covered in knee deep, brown shag carpeting. I was likely wearing something velour or a rust-coloured turtleneck and beige cords. In my hand, held upside down like a pro, was a microphone. My massive stupid white kid afro bouncing along to the smooth sounds, trying to hit the highs or muff the lows of Boz Scaggs or Neil Sedaka.
You see, my dad was (is) a bit of a tech head so he would connect a microphone to his giant reel to reel tape recorder so we could sing along to these now cheesy classics.
Pre-karaoke karaoke at the Graham household. Fun times.
I also remember driving up Avenue road in Toronto and stopping to pick up one of the first video cassette recorders made specifically for home use. Betamax naturally and it was about $900 at the time. He was more excited than I was racing home to hook it up and press play.
Fast forward to our current family “cottage” and he has it wired to the…well just wired. No roughing it up north for us as the satellite television, music, movies, heat and lights all can be controlled online (which is totally creepy when he messes with the lights from Florida in January) or from wall mounted or handheld remotes.
As he worked in electronics, telecommunications and data networking for the majority of his career, advancement in technology was something my dad always embraced. Never shying away from the magical internet or the convenience of mobile phones or tablets. Anyone who follows my life knows I am pretty engaged in the world of technology and social media. Pretty much updating on-the-go with my own various handheld devices. (I know, narcissist much?)
Hud and Tasman? They know nothing of a world without online access or technology-based entertainment from anywhere, and at any time. Check the weather dad. Can I play Brickbreaker dad? What is the largest booger ever recorded dad?
We do curb the screen time. Be they large or tiny, flat or cathode ray tube, tablet or laptop, an hour a day during the week is all our boys are allowed. Hud is already asking for a mobile phone and while I believe the texting and the Facebooking and the Tweeting is all a bit too much for someone his age, the idea of him being available to me at all times is pretty tempting. We will check back with him next school year. Although we are noticing the kids with phones and/or tablets are younger and younger these days. All about the maturity level I guess.
With Father’s Day fast approaching, technology gifts for the tech head in your life are usually better than a striped tie or a pair of socks.
Our friends at BLACKBERRY have been kind enough to offer one lucky UrbanMoms member the new Blackberry Playbook OS 2.0.
With sweet, new video chatting and an improved web experience, this is a fun little device. I know I would be totally happy receiving one. I will likely get an egg sandwich and a couple of homemade cards but hey, a guy can dream (and hint).
And let’s face it; tablets are also the ultimate 10 minute babysitter. I know, I know judgers, sue me, I need to distract my kids every once in awhile.
TO ENTER, just leave a comment below telling me a really nice father story (remember, I am a real sucker for the heartbreaking parenting crap) and we will randomly draw a lucky winner on Tuesday, June 12th..
Just in time for Father’s Day on the 17th.
Contest closes on JUNE 12, 2012 at 9:00 am.
Click here for Contest Rules and Regulations.
UrbanMoms.ca members are eligible to win so don’t forget to sign-in. Not a member yet? Click here to join.
My dad would always take me on little trips with him, our favourite spot is mcdonalds lol one time i remember he took me to mcdonalds and after took me shopping for a grad dress, it was funny he has no fashion sense whatsoever, so we had a bunch of good laughs that day. He always can make me smile 🙂 My daddy has always been here for me and my sons, and the love that he shows me and especially his grandkids, is just his nature, he is so caring and generous, I would love to be able to do something special for him this father’s day to show him how much I care and love him too.
i always loved it when it was summer holidays and my dad would take me along on the road with him when he had to do a business roadtrip. it was really fun together time for just my dad and I away from the rest of the family. we always had a bag of sunflower seeds to eat along the way and we would sing together as we traveled and go out for lunch and supper together. i loved this special time alone with must me and my dad!
I didn’t have much of Father until he turned 69yrs old. This is when he found out he had prostate cancer. One the day he found out he decided he would stop drinking and smoking. At that moment he became the Dad I always wanted. It was a very short 2 years later when my Dad would lose his battle to bone cancer, he passed on June 20, 2005 @ 1:16pm – Fathers Day. Every year on Fathers Day I cry as I miss the man he had finally become, my Dad.
I was lucky enough to have the “bestest” friend ever, Brenda. Her Mom and Dad adopted me as part of their family when we were only 16yrs old. Dad Pittoors made sure we had values to live by and that we worked hard. He believed in living by example, and what an example he still is to this very Day. So today even though my real Dad has left this world (I miss him so much) I still have Dad Pittoors
I didn’t have much of a father but it didn’t matter because I had my grandpa. My grandpa retired from work when I came along so that he would be able to look after me with my nana when mom went back to work. Grandpa had always been a man’s man he drove trucks for a living after coming home injured from WW2 so who ever thought a little baby girl would turn him to mush. When I got my first tooth he was the one to find it. He went out on his own to Sears and bought a beautiful pink dress, came home and put me in it then put me in my carriage so he could parade me up and down the street and show me off to the neighbours.
He was always there for me, cared for me and loved me. He made sure I knew I mattered and I could do anything I wanted. He showed me what a father was and always filled in where my father failed. I look at my husband now and know that Grandpa sent him to me to be the man for our son that Grandpa always was for me.
My Dad was a very nice , gentle and humble man. He did a lot for us and made us who we are Caring and Honest . Twelve Years ago I got married, moved to Canada and few months later my father died, I really miss him and have regrets that I couldn’t see him before he died. He never got to see my kids and the same way my kids never got to meet their Grand Dad. I have a lot of Great memories of him and I will Cherish them all and will let my kids know about him all the time :’)
My father has taught me so much over the years but mostly I have him to thank for my (and now my children’s) great taste in music.
HI, my name is Alex and I am 9 months old. Mommy let me use her account because I would love to give Daddy a playbook for Daddy’s Day.
You see, Daddy is great… he makes the silliest faces, gives the bestest hugs and even makes some of the best baba’s I have ever tasted. He also is away a lot. Mommy tells me that he has to go away to work so we can have everything we need. I miss Daddy when he is gone… Mommy shows me pictures and lets me hear his voice on the phone but I heard that the bwackberry pwaybook let’s us video chat with Daddy since he bought Mommy one last Holiday Season.
I was very excited to see this… I thought I would take the money out of my piggy bank and buy one but Mommy said it isn’t enough. She said she would help me but Daddy’s Day is coming up and she doesn’t think we are going to make it. Then… I saw this contest and thought… Maybe, just maybe we could win one for Daddy!
Fank You for listening to my submission and good luck to everyone who entered the contest.
Unfortunately I have Never met my real father, but this story is about my step-father. My step father met my mother in 1998. I was quite young at the time and hated him for “taking” my mother away from me. I started rebelling aganist them both and ended up in a lot of trouble a few times. I ran away to Toronto at the young age and stayed with someone I barely knew. I was scared, terrified of the big city and knew no one there, after 1 week of being a-wall, i called up my step father who, quickly answered the phone in tears. He than drove all the way to Toronto (8 hour drive) to get me. That day I realized that he did care and loved me, no matter what, no matter if I was not blood, he still saw me as his true daughter.Since than We have had a very close relationship. He has taught me so much in life, how to forgive, how to love again, how to enjoy the simple moments in life, and especially how to love myself. Its been 14 years now, we still hold a very close bond together. He a father/grandpa, me a mother/daughter. Without him, surely I would have gone down the wrong path in life.
Love you Dad.
Alwaysy & Forever
I have lots of touching stories about my father, but I have decided to tell a humorous one with a touch of feeling. When I was 18 and graduating from high school, I had bought new shoes for the prom. The day of the prom I had tried on my shoes again, to try and break them in a bit more before having to wear them all night. When I tried them on, they were really tight, it seemed with all my nerves and excitement I had been retaining water. I was so upset because the shoes matched the dress, so I didn’t want to wear a different pair. So while I through a temper tantrum and was almost in tears(please remember I was a teenager, with hormone highs) my father calmly came over grabbed my shoes and put them on, socks and all. Picture this a 45 year old man almost 6 feet tall, with a belly ponch, wearing a sweat shirt and track pants waddling around in high heels. He looked hilarious but 3 hours later my shoes fit.
After that anytime my mother and I needed our shoes broken in we just gave them to my dad for a couple of hours, isn’t that the sweetest thing.
My fav fathers day was when my 65 year old dad & I went flying together for the first time cause he got his pilots license (which he helped ME obtain 40 years previously). Now he’s age 89 & in failing health; memories are precious:)
Our first child being born the day before Fathers day !!
Many moons ago when my first boyfriend broke up with me, I was balling like a baby and inconsolable. My dad has a really big heart that breaks when one of his precious daughters hearts are broken. He cuddled with me, listened intently with me for hours. I love my dad!!
My most memorable Father’s day was the year my dad got his first speed boat. We spent that summer in a great house in the Thousand Islands cruising around in this beautiful boat.
My dad is a real gem. I have always been a Daddy girl and I am now well into my 40’s and very blessed to still have him in my life.
He came to Canada early in his life, leaving behind his family. He would always lecture us kids when we were fighting on how we would miss each other some day and that we should be close friends with one another. (and we are). He realized the value and gift of family.
I have so many fab. memories of him, always at the rink with us, wrestling, camping, taking us back home to meet everyone….but I have two that stick out in my mind.
I had come home from university for the first time and on Sunday morning before heading back on the bus, he took me out for breakfast! At 18, that made me feel so grownup. He isn’t one to talk alot but wow I felt very loved.
The other was about 4 years later when I had come home to tell everyone that I was pregnant. I had the hardest time trying to find a way to tell him, I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me- but all he did was hug me and say I Love You.
What a DAD-Happy Father’s Day- Daddio!!!!
Nothing beats my memory of my husband’s first Father’s Day with our baby daughter.
I will always remember the Father’s Day we shared 3 months before my Dad passed away. He was well enough to spend the day on the golf course which he loved, followed by a fabulous family get-together and dinner with us all.
My dad tried really hard to amaze us with magic tricks but we could always see right through them. We played along anyway and pretended to be mystified.
My husband had always wanted to attend an airshow. Last year, my kids, aged 9 & 7 suggested “for fathers’s day, let’s take Daddy to an airshow”. I researched the prices and found that if I could take on and extra shift at work, I could afford to buy the cheapest tickets and we could all go. Things had been tight lately, and the kids were so excited that they could do this for their Dad, it was going to be a big surprise. Well my pay came in…and I had not been paid for my extra shift! What had happened was that, because the shift had not been a scheduled shift, I couldn’t punch in because it wasn’t in the computer. I went to my boss, knowing it was just an oversight, but to my dismay, there was nothing they could do about it until the following pay…by then it would be too late. I was in tears wondering how I would break it to my kids that it wasn’t going to happen, I couldn’t afford the father’s day present. I was upset and confided in a friend, who pulled some strings and ended up getting us 4 vip passes to attend the airshow, with special seating and a fully catered lunch….for free!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. The kids agreed, it was a great way for the family to spend father’s day together.
My dad always loved woodworking but seldom had the money to purchase fancy tools and made do with ones he inherited or were second hand. When I got my first job I bought him a router so he could make fancy cuts on his projects and I included some cash to buy the bits as I didn’t know what size to purchase. After he died I was cleaning up his tools and I found my envelope with cash intact stuck in his work bench. I put the money away and could not bring myself to ever spend it. I have no idea why he wouldn’t use it but I suspect he was too proud.
My dad worked VERY hard and was very responsible to ensure all 3 of us girls always had everything we needed. He lovingly pressured all of us to get as much education as possible, including his grand kids. You could always see in his eyes how much he loved us, and since he passed in 1998, I can’t stop missing him.
My dad was the dad of all dads. He passed suddenly of a heartattack 6 years ago.. Eighteen days after my mom’s birthday and 10 days before my youngest daughter’s (at the time) birthday. My dad was the best burger maker, the best adventurer – he always tried new things and excelled at what he did. He made furniture and was so proud of his creations. The thing I remember the most was how he thought computers were overrated typewriters. Then one day something changed. He got into computers to the point where he was always on top of the latest technology. He was the guy everyone went to when they had problems with their computers. If he were here he would love the tablets and iPads – so much has changed since he passed. I remember when we got our first Commodore 64..it was the coolest thing to him he loved playing those frogging games with us when we were kids. My older daughters loved him so much they called him Ta-ta because they wanted to call him dada. He will forever be Tata to them. My younger kids were born after he passed, and they love their Tata through pictures and videos and stories, his memory will always be kept alive. I miss him because I haven’t kept up with any of Smartphones or tablets myself and I don’t have either. I would love to follow in his footsteps and teach my kids about the latest technology.
The greatest father’s day story is my own; it was father’s day 2007 when my partner went into labour, giving me the greatest present ever – a brand new baby girl! Never will forget that one.
I have fond memories of making my Dad breakfast in bed every Father’s Day. He always acted like it was his best meal ever.
i would love to have won.me and my dad went camping all the weekends and fishing at the lac guilmor even if it raind.and when winther arrived we built snowman and igloos we had lots of fun.now i bring my daugther fishing and camping ofthen and make a camp fire.at winther wee light a candale and eat mashmallows , we have lots of fun..
my dad was every ones friend as well as mine. We used to go camping, fishing, hiking and anything else that had to do with the outdoors in the summer only….he did not like the cold weather, so we stayed in alot and read books and watched television shows like gunsmoke and bonaza during the winters. What he installed in me, I have installed into my own kids and kepted the traditions that i grew up with and carried it on to the next generation, with the exception that my kids love all four seasons…lol
My husband is a great guy! First of all, he didn’t just propose once to me, but twice….that is a whole other story! Second, when he did propose to me, he didn’t just have to check with my father, but my son as well. He has made sure to be that father to my son that he didn’t have before. He is the dad that I dreamed of finding for my son. He is a great husband to me too, but an awesome dad (and for “mama bears” it is what we dream of).
I don’t have any good things to say about my father as a father. This is not fair! 🙂 … I admire all the postings of those with fond memories, how lucky you are. I can only remember going fishing and as much as I didn’t like it, I liked that he was spending time with me. Seemed I was steering the boat so he could drink beer more than anything but still, I remember it.
My father is my hero. When he was 10 he had an aneurysm. This aneurysm affected his whole right side. especially his right arm. My father was born right handed. which meant he had to learn to do everything over again with his left hand. All the while being a ten year old child. Dad even had to learn to walk again, with his right sided tremors his leg sometimes shakes. My father has overcome all of his issues. He used horses as therapy and they are what kept his spirits alive. Today my father is 53 years old and has worked for the cable company for 20 + years. Until he was given a management position he used to climb telephone poles and do everything you and I can do. Sometimes it takes him a little longer than it would someone who did not have this disability but he is a determined man and he gets things done. This is why I consider my father my hero. To over come all of the issues he has makes for a truly special man. Thanks for everything dad!
My own father died when I was very young, but a few years back I sent a father’s day card to my best friend’s father, thanking him for raising such a wonderful daughter. The card seemed to really choke him up. Even though I had known him for 15 years, after that card he made an effort to go for lunch with me and stay in touch. He’s been like a surrogate father since.
My father’s day story is about my husband – We met online (no, not on a dating site. We met on a social site) when I was pregnant with my second daughter (her father had chosen to leave me when I was 8 weeks pregnant). Even though I was in a different country to him, in fact, a different continent, he called everyday; asked how I was etc.
After my daughter was born, her biological father contacted me again, he wanted us to get back together. What struck me as odd was that he was not interested in his daughter, never asked about her or bothered much about her wellbeing.
My husband on the other hand (remember, we were in different countries and had never met personally) called my (not at the usual time he called daily) just to ask me if my daughter had warm clothes for the upcoming winter.
He had never even met us but was obviously thinking about us and worried about us and our well being.
My story has a happy end to it, as you have noticed, I refer to him as “my husband” which he is and the best father to my two girls.
The best Dad story that I have is from my Wedding Day. Growing up my Dad worked a lot traveling(he worked with a major Train company and had to go out and fix trains when the broke down) and wasn’t home a lot. He also isn’t a very talkative person and very rarely shows emotion. He actually worked so often that when I was getting married we joked that I should have a back up to walk be down the aisle(he used to get called in at the last minute because you can’t foresee when trains would break down). Even though my Dad wasn’t very outwardly emotional he wrote his own speech for my wedding and it was so heartfelt and emotional that almost everyone in the room had a tear and so did he. I will never forget the words he spoke and just know that they came right from his heart. He wouldn’t even let my Mom read it before hand. Almost 17 years later and it still brings tears to my eyes.
My Dad is modern in everyway except technology!!! Recently we finally got him to get a cell phone. He thinks it is the “cat’s meow” because it has a camera on it. He recently became semi-retired and is very bored!!! I think he would love this gadget and soon become hip to the real world when he saw what all the Black Berry has to offer!!!
MY DAD IS MY WORLD! WE GREW UP VERY CLOSE, MY DAD AND I ARE LIKE BEST FRIENDS. MY DAD RAISED MY BROTHER AND I BY HIMSELF AND HE ALWAYS WORK VERY HARD FOR US BUT ALWAYS MADE TIME FOR CAMPING, FISHING AT OUR COTTAGE.
HE’S ALSO PLAYS GUITAR AND NOTHING LIKE SITTING AROUND A FIRE, PLAYING GUITAR AND SIGNING SONGS. AS A LITTLE GIRL I WAS INVOLVED IN LOTS OF SPORTS AND WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE TO CHEER ME UP. HE’S ALWAYS BEEN SO PROUD OF ME. I HAVE 2 CHILDREN UNDER 2 AND BEEN LIVING IN EDMONTON AB FOR 3 YEARS NOW. IT’S BEEN REALLY HARD FOR MY DAD AND I. FINALLY WE ARE MOVING BACK TO OTTAWA IN AUGUST AND CAN’T WAIT TO BE BACK WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE! MY DAD! HE DESERVES THIS GIFT FOR FATHER’S DAY! PLEASE CHOOSE US! 🙂
My dad used to love playing guitar and i can remember the times when the whole family would gather and have a blast while he strummed, sang and played some of the kid classics (tie a yellow ribbon ’round the old oak tree etc.). we had some great musical times together.
I have many good memories of my Father…nothing stands out for Father’s Day but he sure made weekends fun for the whole family….out in the boat fishing…having Jigs Dinner boiled up on the rocks…( using a Colman stove) something of an adventure all the time!
My favorite Father’s Day memories are of my Dad & I building things together. I was a total tomboy and he loved showing me how all his tools worked. I am now handier than all my 3 brothers combined!
Late at night, sometime in September, 2007, my father in-law (John) picked myself and his son (David) up at the Train Station. John gave me the best welcome ever by hugging me. My eyes waters as I wrote this entry. John has never said NO to my asking him for a ride. John would get up at 2 a.m. in the morning in order to drive me home from work. John has always been there for me- nodding YES to my needs for rides and a mailing address. Late 2010, John’s car broke down and John has not been driving since. Three times a week, John would go on a 40-min walk in order to deliver David’s mails and mine as well. I have no words to describe John’s selflessness and quiet efforts in welcoming me into his life. I wish John all the best in life.
My dad left when I was five.My uncle John was the best person to me and my sister. When the snow would come he would call up my mom and say”Ok get them ready I am taking them tobboganning”Every christmas he would bring us two full boxes of food from the IDA he was a delivery guy for and when we would get into trouble he would come over take us out for a talk and then McDonalds. He is the best Father I could of ever asked for and I’m glad he was like my father, I just had a baby boy eight months ago and my sons name is Domenic John. We both cried when I told my uncle I was giving the baby his name as a middle name.
I did not have the priviledge of growing up with a daddy, nor did I have any postive male role models in my life. My mom was a single mother, and the 2 uncles I saw most were not very good role models. One was an alcoholic and one was a manipulator.
I met my biological father when I was 15, but we never became close.
That said, I’d have to say that my father-in-law (whom I’ve known from the age of 14) is the closest I’ve come to having a Dad, and I do love him dearly. He has been a blessing in my life, and I thank the Lord for him.
My father has always been an original. He loves to play whether it was an appropriate time to do so or not. One of my mother’s phrases I remember her saying on more than one occasion is: “Mark you are worse than the children.” This was usually when she was busy pack uping to go somewhere (leave the house)and he was too busy playing with us to help her out. In terms of breakfast for lunch, this wouldn’t be anything all that different for my father one of his favourite things to do is to have a reverse meal starting with dessert at one restaurant and then going somewhere else for dinner.
My favourite memory of my dad is the time we used to spend fishing, mainly because it was something that we did that was only us, the only time I got my dad to myself and didn’t have to share him with my 3 sisters. I was content to just sit there with him and talk about the odd thing, but the silence was just as good.
My brother has always been like my dad to me. I was always more afraid of what my brother would say or do more than my dad. My brother would take me in the back yard and go camping, he took me fishing, has tried a number of times to teach me how to change my oil or other things with my car, etc. He’s great. Now that he’s a father to two great kids I can’t say more. He does all the same things he and I did growing up with his own kids. He loves to spend time with his children and hates it when he has to work late and that takes time away from his “family” time.
My Dad was the tough love, old school type of Dad. His form of affection was shown through sarcasm. So I didn’t have the closest relationship with him growing up. But as the years past and I am now a Mom with three kids, we have become closer. He often tells me that he loves me and misses me. One of my fondest memories of my Dad and I was from when I was about 6 years old. We were at our cottage fishing. My Dad was a big hunter and fisher so he was very proud to teach me his skill. I on the other hand was not as excited. When he told me to put the live worm on the hook, I refused. I just couldn’t handle the wiggly worm. So after some argument back and forth we compromised. He handed me a tissue, I closed my eyes and grabbed the worm with the tissue and proceeded to put the worm on the hook. I did catch my first fish and it was a great day. But my Dad often brings out the picture of me with the tissue in hand.
I have always been a “Daddy’s Girl”… I absolutely ADORE my father! There are not enough beautiful words in the universe to describe him. He is almost 80 and every day I get to spend with him is a joy and a blessing and I’m so incredibly thankful that I still have him in my life. He knows how to cheer me up when no one else can — makes me laugh SO hard, I cry and look like a raccoon every time! I am in my 40s, but around him I revert back to a kid and bask in his light. His stories about his life are interesting and fabulous, especially told around a campfire in the summer! Those are the nights I NEVER want to end as I listen to him speak, hooked on every word. And the way he is with his Grandchildren makes me smile and tear up as I watch him play the same games with them that I used to enjoy as a child. I married an amazing man with similar traits as my father and now I am doubly blessed as I watch and listen to my husband interact with my children and make them laugh deep belly laughs as chocolate milk comes out their noses. I am SO lucky and thankful for the “Dads” in my life… LOVE LOVE LOVE. Can’t wait for Father’s Day when I can spoil them rotten! 😀
My dad passed away in 1995. Unfortunately, we never had the best relationship. In fact, my dad was your typical pompous, controlling, overbearing European father. There wasn’t much to discuss; what he said just was!
I got married in 1990 (now divorced), and even as ‘an adult my dad and I maintained our constant relationship as we knew it. The summer before my dad passed, I visited his homeland, and purchased a CD that contained music typical of the land … Instrumental only. When I returned home, my dad had come to my house to pay me a visit. To surprise him, I put on the CD without telling him what I was about to play. As the music played, he seemed to travel back in time to yesteryear. He cried!
For that brief moment we had connected in a way that we had never connected ever before, or after!
Now, today, I am with my partner who has stepped into the father role with my daughter (her biological dad isn’t present at all). It was difficult for my daughter with no dad, no grandfather … Until my present partner stepped in. Over the past 7 years, my partner has been great, and has been the difference in my daughter’s life.
It would be fabulous to give my partner a wonderful gift, sushi as this giveaway prize.
When I was turning 16, and an awkward teenager, I just had this what seems a silly dream now, how getting a delivery of flowers for my birthday. I’m not sure how he knew this but on the day of my 16th birthday, the doorbell rang and there was a delivery of a dozen beautiful red roses. My dad made me feel so special that day, and I’m always so thrilled to look back on that day.
My dad was the one that was there for me to drive me back and forth from a hospital an hour away from home everyday so i could spend some time with my preemie daughter
Our chidren have just recently moved on their own. We really miss having them around…. so… one year for Father’s Day, I had them all secretly plan to come down. I have to say that I could actually feel their fathers’ heart swell. They had such a great day. They went golfing, biking, bbq’d and later, we all sat by the fire, chatted and two of the boys, played guitar and sang. It really made their father’s day and mine too. 🙂
My dad really does have a heart of gold, and really would give anyone the shirt off his back. I remember when I was about 7 we were at McDonalds, where my twin sisters both worked. My dad drove them and picked them up for almost every shift. But I distinctly remember on one of those occasions that there was a disabled car in the parking lot, and the owner couldn’t get it to work. My dad, who is not a mechanic, but very good with every tool, got down on the ground and looked under the vehicle for whatever malfunction was the issue…I don’t remember the outcome, just the fact that my dad is selfless, kind, and giving – he just exemplifies that for me, and is such a great role model. I try to live up to that high standard of service in my life to honour him.
My mother left my father when I was only a few weeks old so I did not grow up with my “real dad”. My mother went back to live with her parents so I was raised by my grandmother, grandfather and my uncles. I did have very strong male role models in my life. My grandfather was an OPP officer and both of my uncles grew up to be OPP officers as well. I don’t have a typical father’s day memory per se but I am very thankful to my family, epecially the men that helped to raise me and teach me the values that I hold myself accountable to today.
My father is amazing. Even after 28 years, he still amazes me every day!
Let me tell you how cool my dad is.
Most families would be conscious about where they let their children play in the house, as they don’t want furniture ruined, etc. Well, our family was a little different. We could play wherever we liked in our home – as long as we promised to be respectable of the household items around us. But, on occasion – Something would be broken, or there would be a little damage caused (scratches, dings, dents, etc). Instead of giving us the 3rd degree. My father would sit us down nicely, and explain why that piece of furniture (or other household item) was important to them, or share a story about it (as 98% of our home was antique furniture & pieces). Then, he would simply call the damage we caused, “another memory” – which will be perfect for us to sit down, and tell our own children, when they cause any damages in our homes!
It was such a cute idea, and it’s a method that I now use in my own home!
Love you, Dad!
Well I would say to sum it up the song by Brad Paisley “he didnt have to be” is the perfect way to describe my Dad. I was only 4 when he came into my life and he has been the only Dad I have ever known. Having never met my biological father who ran when my Mom was pregnant with me. My Mother after that had a few relationships with abusive alcoholics. Funny the things you remember from being a kid, anyways my Dad (step-dad) came into our lives and has never left he has been there for me every since, now I am 30 years old with 2 girls of my own and they couldn’t ask for a better Grandfather. We love him very much and I am thankful every day that he came into our lives and made it that much better and gave my kids a Grandfather.
When I was 7 my father took me to the zoo for father’s day…he hates the zoo. I never Really realized all of the great things and sacrifices that my dad did and made for me until now. This year I’m going to go golfing with my dad for father’s day…I hate golfing, but I love my dad.
I always remembered my dad as a hardworking man, trying his hardest to always make sure we didn’t go with out a meal, to feed us 7 kids! He would work all week and once the weekends hit, he spent so much time with us kids, either it be fishing, ice cream, shopping, going to the drive-in to watch a movie, and this was with all 7 of us kids. We did alot of barbequing and camping. He always made sure through the hard times financially that we were all fed and had a smile on our faces. It was the love he expressed for his children! Happy Fathers Day!
My dad has always been there for me, no matter what. If I need help with something, he would drop everything to help me, even if it is was at 2AM or in the middle of a business meeting! He is simply my hero. – Sunny
I don’t have a story that’s about Father’s Day, but I am thankful that my dad spent so much time teaching me and my siblings how to swim, and also taught us about the importance of being honest, and hardworking, and for all these things I am thankful for my dad.
My father, had always wanted to take his little girls back to his homeland The Netherlands to show us where he and my mother lived and loved. He managed to do this the year that I turned 40. It was a great time. Even though I was grown, I am sure in his mind I was still about 7 years old.
My father was a photolithographer and won several awards for books he’d worked on. I told him many times his job made him an artist, but he never saw it that way. He just knew what looked right, what colors went together, and how to put a page together so it was “perfect” but no, he wasn’t an artist because he didn’t actually create the artwork that went into the books. One year for Fathers Day I wrote a poem for him called “My Father is an Artist.” The poem made him tear up a bit, and after reading it he was finally able to see (after 40 years!) that he did in fact create art.
-Louise
my 66 yr old father is the quiet type who is generous even when he has little himself. he & my mother with me in tow emigrated to canada in the 1970’s where we bought a house with an upstairs that was converted as a rental unit. over the years my parents have rented to many people from all walks of life. at times my father ,who decides whom to lease the premises to has made some poor decisions on who can move in often being sifted for any money owning. he takes it all in strike much to my mom’s chargin feeling that the person was probably finanically unable to pay. it is my opinion he thinks about the disadvantage state he was in when he first came to this wonderful country he calls home & tries to give all a fair opportunity. he continues to rent out this home planting a large garden with produce often going to his tenants
my dad was very protective of me – I remember the first day of school – my dad while walking me to school said “if any teacher lays a finger on you, just come home and tell me – they won’t ever do that again!”
My dad is the rock of my family – strong, confident and wise. But he is also sweet and has a big soft spot. While I was growing up – especially in my teen years – I was so embarrassed by him. But now I realize how truly awesome he was – and still is to this day. I see the special relationship he has with my kids, I have a new appreciation for him. I have a close relationship with him now, too, and I feel incredibly blessed and lucky. My dad is the best!!
My dad is quiet, reserved and doesn’t show much emotion. But i am daddy’s little girl (still) which he makes me feel special and cherished. Dad has been healthy his whole life, all of his 75 years. This year was scary. A large tumour had to be removed but after months, he is doing great. But i know our time is getting more and more limited so this Father’s Day i will let him know how special he is to me.
Well my Daddy is my hero and my best friend. My mom died when I was 2 so all I ever had was my Daddy. So ever since I was about 7 or 8 every mothers day I would make him a card that said “Happy Mothers Day” and he asked me “why are you giving me a mothers day card?” I told him because not only was he an awesome Dad but he was an awesome “mom” too. My Daddy did all the things a mom was suppose to do (as far as I was concerned, I did grow up with 4 older brothers so that’s gotta tell you I’m not a girly girl). My Daddy taught me a lot about life (being tough), and cooking but most of all he taught me about friendship and love. I love my Daddy and unfortunately miss him terribly as he died of lung cancer not long ago at an early age of 55. I love you Daddy, Happy Daddy’s Day.
Love Lou.
My Dad is amazing. He has spent the last year battling four different types of cancer and has done it with such dignity and strength – I have always been proud of my father, however during the past year I have been in complete awe.
My Dad is the strong but silent type – if something is broken he doesn’t mention it, rather he simply brings the tools next visit and fixes it. He loves people, dancing and playing cards, listening to music and stories of the past. I can honestly say that in my entire lifetime, I have never heard my father say a bad thing about anyone – he manages to find something positive in everyone he meets.
This Father’s day is so very special for all my family as we are so grateful to have him here this year!
My dad has always been for us, he works overseas just to make ends meet and keep his kids happy, I have no clue what we would do without him
I know it says tell a sweet Fathers Day story and mine is both sweet and sad.
My Dad (the most amazing father anyone could ever have wished for) had a terrific Fathers Day last year. He had Stage 4 Prostate Cancer and lived with us. He was often very very sick and was always in lots of pain, however last Fathers Day he woke up and said he felt great. He was out of bed and sitting out on the deck enjoying spending time with my brother and I and our spouses and children (his grandchildren). We took pictures of him with all the Grandkids and with my brother and I. We had an amazing dinner of his favourite food (Chinese food) and just had a great day. At the end of it he was tired but extremely happy and everyone had a great time. It was wonderful to see him so happy and his pain was under control. It was a great day.
Unfortunately, he passed away on Canada Day (July 1st, 2012) and even though myself, my husband, my then 12 year old son, and when they arrived the paramedics all tried CPR, we failed and we lost him. Tht day was the worst of my life, and that makes the Fathers Day we shared just a mere 2 weeks earlier all the more special.
My advice to everyone is: Cherish every moment and every memory of your Father. Enjoy and revel in the simple things, for he will be gone too soon.
Happy Fathers Day to my Dad. This will be my first one without him and I will be remembering all the good times that day (and every day).
even tho im not a kid anymore i gave my dad a kite for fathers day and we went to the beach to fly it.
My Dad worked very hard all his life to provide for us. We didn’t see too much of him at all. I was the 3rd girl and tried hard to fill in as he didn’t have a boy. Why this came into my mind as a kid I do not know. I had daddy issues during my teen years and as a woman because of his lack of presence. Then one day when my mom and dad and I had gone to visit my grandma, on the way home he actually apologized to me. He apologized for not being there as much as he should have, but he had to work it seems 24/7. That moment made me realize how hard it was on him too. I appreciate that moment every day. He is the best, and I am so proud of him.
i just came from spending a weekend with my dad and entire family celebrating a very symbolic ritual for my nephews and what I most love and admire about my dad is his ability to read you and tell you the right words at the right moment to make everything right. My sisters and brother know that we are very blessed, that even though we are all over 40 years old, my 72 year dad still makes us feel like children by still giving us a home that is free of responsibilities and full of love, support and strength, whenever we need it.
My husband loves to buy clothes for our 16month old daughter. With the rate that she’s growing we are not opposed to shopping second hand. Last week he decided to do some shopping while I was at work as he knows she does not have a lot of summer clothes. When I got home from work, he was so proud to show me what great deals he got. The shirt he bought was super cute and the right size for this summer, the shorts on the other hand…they were cute too, but they were a size 6-7. His response to that was…well they do have an adjustable waist band. So I guess she will be wearing them for the next 5 years 🙂
My dad wakes up earlier than we ever did on Christmas morning. He does this each and every year to make the world’s best breakfast for our family and his mom, 4 siblings, and their children!
He makes eggs any way, home fries, waffles, pancakes, bacon, turkey bacon, tea, coffee, toast made from homemade bread, and so much more!
My dad loves to cook food for our family and friends. He is always at the BBQ or stove. He makes the best baked potatoes, BBQ chicken and homemade bread.
I wait 365 days a year for Christmas breakfast – and it is my favourite moment I share with dad every year.
My dad loved to draw. He was always good with a pencil and some paper. He could draw great portraits or cartoon characters. He was very artistic and I Thank him always for passing the love of drawing and art onto me. I in turn have passed that same love of art onto my daughter who is also very talented, just like the grandfather she never got to meet, unfortunately he passed before she was born. 🙂
Poor Dad – we wouldn’t eat our boiled eggs unless he drew a face on it – and being kids we would whine if the eggs got cold. Good thing he had calloused farmer’s hands – but even so he had to juggle the egg – draw a few seconds – juggle again. Boiled eggs with a smile
My dad is the typical strong silent type of the older generation. You would think that he doesn’t pay any attention to any thing that goes on around him, but there is that soft side that comes out when you least expect it. He’s not much for PDA, but for sure when his grandkids are around there are certainly a lot of hugs and kisses to be given to all the kids. And, of course, there is nothing that the kids would ask grandpa to do that he would not go absolutely out of his way to do (as all doting grandparents are wont to do :))
In 2003 we had a black out in Ontario and some parts of the US as you remembered and This is more of a father’s day story from my kids but, one of my kids were stuck on the subway and had to walk up bayview and the other one was at daycare. My husband their father did not want the older one to walk by his self so he rode his bike (9 year old bmx bike and my husband is 6 foot 2) to go meet him so they could walk home together. That just touched my heart. Yes we had a car but their was so much craziness on the street with no traffic lights working so he left it at home. Gotta love him.
I remember ever since we were very small we used to give my Dad the most horrible smelling soap on the rope or cheap old spice gift set. I remember how full of pride we were when he opened and he looked genuinely delighted at the amazing gift we had purchased for him. Year after year we got him the same horrible presents. lol. One time years later I found a box hidden away that contained every terrible unusable present we had ever bought him but I guess he didn’t have the heart to throw any of it away. My Dad was and still is one of the most awesome human beings I know and the one thing I think I am luckiest of all to have in a Dad it was whether it being coaching our soccer games or just there to offer a hug on a really bad day he always made our family the number one priority on his list. I love you Dad!!xoxo
My father has always been the most caring man I’ve known. He couldn’t be around much when I was a child but as a teen he came back into my life. A little background information on my father, George Wilson: My father has a physical disability, with his back (at 15 he was in a car crash that was fatal for his friend, and very injuring for my father and two others)). Back in his day there was no surgery that could be done. They just prescribed him painkillers. As he gets older, walking and getting around have been getting increaslingly difficult and he is need of aid (wheelchair, but is too stubborn-Or scottish haha). I want to keep as much contact as I can, but sometimes life gets busy and with him in and out of the hospital, I want to be kept up to date as much as possible. I love my father and wish for him to have no more pain.
After my father had a heart attack from smoking and survived . One year later I had saved up and went to visit him. We went fishing and he has since quit smoking and I plan to visit hiom again this summer. It is a 12 hour bus ride to get there and a tablet would be useful on the trip.
I loved to dance with my father when I was a young girl. He taught me to polka and all those other old worldly dances. He would spin me around the floor and I love to stare into his blue twinkling eyes as he tried to speed things up. He could play a mean banjo too, but I rarely heard him sing.
My dad has always been there and along with my mom, always ready to help out in any situation. My dad came to Canada 2 years before the rest of the family came here to join him. He made some very difficult choices and sacrificed a lot to make a better life for his family here in Canada. For that, I’ll always admire and love him.
Games day! Father’s Day was always games day for the kids. Not sure where his treat was in this as it would go on for hoooouuurs, but don’t believe we ever thought of that then.
My Father grew up getting picked on because he was born with SP (cerebral palsy) and when he had me and my brother he was struggling with a job but he always made sure me and my brother were happy, he is always there when I need him and he works hard for a living he barely makes it by but he always ends up making me and my brother both happy. I hope by winning this my dad would be so happy because he deserves a lot then what he gets he so nice and kind and one of the sweetest guy ever, he is also very funny and he just is so kind.
My father has never let an argument happen without holding my hands and praying together. It is not scriptural to make your children angry and we both have a chance to pray for mutual forgiveness. It made me a parent that will no fight with my own children without seeking forgiveness. I only hope to be like the example he has set.
One fathers day when my Poppa was going through a rough time after Cancer surgery, I made him up a parcel. I wanted to make him smile and so I included a singing fish which sang “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. When the mail-man handed my father the parcel, he chuckled. On the package were signatures of Canada Post mail personal from Ontario to Cape Breton. My singing fish had entertained everyone along the route. I had forgotten to turn off the motion detector. My Poppa laughed and laughed and got such a kick out of telling that story over and over again. I miss him every day and I thank him for the love and the wonderful gift of laughter which has sustained our family through the tough times.
I didn’t have a father growing up, which made for very sad and awkward fathers days at school (making a crafty fathers day gift with no one to give it to) this is why my story will be about my husband who is the greatest father i’ve ever seen to our son Jax. When he was born I had many life threatening complications and spent 2 post partum months in the hospital. My husband took such great care of not only our little bundle of absolute gorgeousness but also me without skipping a beat. He held it all down without blinking an eye.
I am so thankful I have him in my life and how blessed my son is to have such a wonderful man as a father. Something i have always whished for my child to have. Now i look forward to future fathers days when he can craft something with special purpose on fathers day and cant wait to see what little creations he brings home for dad 🙂 For Jax and I to win this for dad would be the most exciting way to tell him “thank you” thank you for being there, for all the love and support when we didn’t know if i would make it home, thank you for reassuring me that no matter what Jax has the greatest father in the world
When I was a child my father used to take me skiing in the mountains. Sometimes we’d drive up late on Friday night, even after he had worked hard all week. One time we got caught in a raging blizzard that made the roads impassable. We could have been stranded on the highway. But my father found a cabin in the woods and we had shelter till morning.
so, my mom passed away almost 7 yrs ago…i thought for sure my dad would be lost…he ha never cleaned, done laundry or cooked…ever!!!
well, he was lost for a while, but he found his way…im so proud of him..he wasnt afraid to ask for help and advice…i call him every single night before going to bed…i just like to hear how his day went..and i like to update him on what my kids did during the day 🙂
thanks for the chance!
I loved gardening with my dad. We would draw and plan our garden then off to the garden centre to pick out all our plants. Dad always left room for that one spontaneous item, we grew pumpkins, hot peppers and even tried watermelon. He knew we would see something we would HAVE to have and left room for it and our imagainations to grow. Thanks dad!
My family loves his family and provided for us. He makes us feel safe,
Is this a one entry only?I was told daily.thnks!
My favourite father’s day memory was watching my dad play baseball. He was not great but I remember at the company picnic he hit a double and it was like he won the World Series.
My father passed away when I was very young, but pretty soon I had a step-dad. We spent a lot of time together, he was a good handyman and I learned a lot by helping him around the house.
My father passed when I was 13 which really strengthened and matured me at an early age. Growing up with just my mom we’ve learned to do many man things that otherwise a women often wouldn’t do. Tiling my moms house, bricking her house, renting a bob cat and filling in our old pool with 2 dump truck loads of top soil in prep of my wedding 4 months later are just a few of the unique stories I hold. My father may be gone, but he still gives me strength today.
Once upon a time many years ago we were camping in a tent in Banff. Despite the posted warnings we left a suitcase of food, and icebox in outdoors in our campsite. The BEARS must of smelled the peanut butter and honey! They came to visit in the middle of the dark summery night. It was a really growling scarey fright, believe me! Mom was shaking so hard that when I crawled into her sleeping bag it was not very reassuring. Grandma was taking deep loud breaths of air. I looked to my DAD who was posted at the tent’s door flap with an large wood chopping axe in hand! He was my always my strong brave hero but in that instant and moment in time he could not hide the fear in his eyes from his family. I love realizing that he was just human too and I will miss him dearly every June 17 which for me is now ” Fatherless Day “.
The End
I brought a black lab puppy home after my sister’s dog tore our house apart and of course I went right to my Dad because he is a sucker and always said yes to me; I knew he fell in love with Jake and all he said was go talk to your mother…….my mother had a fit and said no take him back!!! Jake lived at my parents house until I married and took him with me but he was still my Dads dog. Whenever they dogsat for us he was stuck to my Dad like glue even though my parents went a got a yellow lab (they missed Jake so much). Jake became sick when he was a puppy and we didn’t know if he would make it and my Dad said Jake came to us because he knew he would be loved and cared for even though his life on earth may be cut short. Jake lived to be 16 and had a great life. Dads sometimes can be so tough on you cause they only want what is best for you….but showing a little soft side can teach you what really matters.
Our family is originally from a warm climate that doesn’t have snow. After immigating to Canada, however, my father encouraged me and my brother to embrace the winter climate and partake in winter activites. He enrolled us in skating classes, helped us build snowmen in the front yard, took us tabogganing anytime the snow was favourable and introduced us to downhill skiing. My favourite memories of my dad are of our various tobogganing adventures: receiving a big red toboggan duing our first Christmas in Canada; my father’s regular enthusiastic invites (“It just snowed last night!… Wanna go tobogganing?!); his loud cheers as we raced down the hill; him always holding my hand to help me trek up the hill yet AGAIN. He never tired of going tobogganing and was always ready for “just one more” thrilling descent. As we grew older our enthusiasm for toboganning waned, but our father’s never did. … And this fact confirmed our suspicions that dad loved toboganning even more we did!
I have the best father ever. When I first started getting my period which for me was embarrassing enough but to make the matter worse the local Shopper’s Drugmart employed a teenage boy on cash and used semi transparent plastic bags. To protect me from being mortified my Dad dutifully purchased all my feminin hygiene products for me. Daddy I love you for that and a never ending list of other reasons!
I don’t have a particularly special ‘Father’s Day’ story. I do, however, have a special father! As the years go on, the things I didn’t quite understand as a child, I see differently now! I see the hidden meaning in the songs he sang and the rules he kept! I appreciate how understanding he was at some very difficult moments! I’m thankful for the unconditional love and acceptance I was given! No child could ask for anything more!
When I was a little girl I had an absolute favorite pair of shoes that I wore everywhere. I wore those things out and remember that I was in tears when my mom had to throw them away. My dad was heartbroken and took me in his arms, carried me a few blocks to the store and I got to choose a new favorite pair of shoes.
I’ll never forget those family summer vacations I had growing up. Our dad would take us up to North Carolina. We’d visit the beach almost everyday. We would go in the water and see how far into the water we could go. It was like a challenge to see if you could jump over the high waves. I think he enjoyed it as much as I did ;). Such a fond memory.
I recently finished a painting the picture of us on the beach to always remind me of times like these.
I don’t have too many memories of my dad – he’s been gone for a while – but I’ll always remember playing Trivial Pursuit as a kid. He’d give lots of hints and even act some out.
my dad is the greatest dads I know. Growing up he would work 80 hour weeks to make sure he could pay the bills and allow my brother & I to not go without, plus help save up for university. You’d think with all that work he wouldn’t have time for us kids but he always made time and never complained about it. He even looked like he had all the energy in the world. When I was younger I didn’t realize the sacrifices he was making but I loved getting to play with him everyday. As an adult I see even more deeply his love for us. I’m thankful to him for giving us of his time and not complaining and for showing us a hard work ethic. Love you Pa.
I remember one day when I was little my dad took me out in our boat and we landed on one of the gulf islands and we went hiking to the very very top and sat there under a tree and watched the boats go by. It’s a great memory of mine.
I remember that my father was a great outdoorsman and sportsman. When he was in his late forties he would sail skate on the St. Lawrence river outside our house with him just holding onto a home made sail. He would go so fast that all the neighbourhood kids were afraid to do so … even when offerred the sail to use!
He was an extraordinary father who was very humble since he saw his own father as being far more accomplished than he. Since my father wasn’t famous I didn’t suffer from the same fate. This was a blessing as was being his son.
My father was busy with six children and my Mom was no a gum chewer thus banning it from inside the house. She compared it to a cow chewing on cud. Keeping this in mind my father would have secret bubble blowing contests in the barn. I will always remember those special times!
When I was a kid my dad would come home everyday and get changed out of his work clothes. He would purposely leave the coins in his work pants, and when he hung them up the coins would fall out, and my sister and I would run and collect it and get to keep it. We all pretended it was an accident, but it happened almost daily so it really was just a tradition. Then my sister and I would go to the corner store and buy a treat. 🙂
My dad had a sweet sound system when I was a kid. We weren’t allowed to touch it (my siblings and I used to press all the buttons and mess with his balance) so we were constantly asking him to play the “Wheelie” music (Willie Nelson.) I cannot hear Willie Nelson without thinking of my dad. We danced to “On the Road Again” as our father/daughter dance at my wedding. I don’t like country music but I love me some Wheeeeelie Nelson 🙂
When I was a child, I rarely saw my dad, as he worked around the clock to support our mom and my seven siblings. We were always happy to see him, but he was rarely around. Many years later, we have successful careers and many wonderful kids among us. We all visit my parents often and we have a chance to get re-aquainted with dad and the kids enjoy playing with grandpa. It gives me great joy to see him playing computer games with Ethan or building clay figures with Jenny. All my nieces and nephews also love spending time with grandpa.
These are such wonderful and poignant stories. I wish I was Oprah and I could give you all a playbook.
J.
I remember one very special father’s day when I was young. My dad and I liked to watch baseball games together, so when the local paper had a contest where you were to write about your dad and had the chance of winning Blue Jays tickets, I entered. I wrote about how I enjoyed spending time with my dad, especially attending the car races with him and how he meant so much to me. I was selected as the winner and my dad and I had our pictures taken and got in the newspaper and then of course attended the Blue Jays game! We had a great time and I will always remember that.
I myself am a recent father (of a 1.5 year old boy). He is incredibly special to us, not only is he a fabulous child, but he’s so important to my wife and I. I lost my father when I was in my 20’s and my wife lost her father (a police officer) when she was only 13. A father figure is obviously very important to us and we are thankful we can give the personal and leadership experiences for our little one.
Every year we take my Dad out golfing for Fathers Day and out for supper. Now that I’m married and have kids, I hope we can keep up the tradition with my husband. My Dad looks forward to it every year,and I know my hisband does too.
My dad worked a lot when I was growing up. When he was home, he was in the garden or fixing something in the basement. He was pretty distant.
But when I had my daughter, it all changed. He was the best grandfather, so patient and kind. He just loved walking around the neighbourhood with her.
One week when I stopped by he showed me a dollhouse he was making – furniture and all. It was really amazing.
Although I didn’t grow up with a father my children have the best father in the world, well that may be a little biased 😉 but he is truly amazing with our little ones. A couple weeks ago he was shaving and my oldest who’s five took his shirt off just like daddy and he grabbed his fake razor/bath toy and pretended to shave. Moments like that just make me so greatful to have him by my side
Whenever something is broken, my dad is always able to help me fix it, no matter what it is. He seems to know how to fix anything! And for everything else, well, there’s Youtube!
Wow! What awesome stories! I have immensely enjoyed reading these.
As for my Father’s Day story I don’t have one I have many but let me first start with my father.
As a child my most anticipated moment was the time at which I followed my dad downstairs and watched him retrieve his guitar from the basement. Dancing with excitement, I would follow him upstairs to our back deck. Now it was already evening and dark, around 9pm in the summer. These are the nights I recall most often from my childhood. My dad would sit on his bench and gently tune his guitar which would gradually turn into an upbeat country tune, and I would be high-stepping and dancing around singing with my father as he played and sang his heart out. This is one thing my father and I share, a love of music and singing along to any song we know the lyrics. Now that I am older and have started a family of my own I realize how awesome and wonderfully alike we both are. Not only do we love music we love food, and fix things. Speaking of eating I remember my father and I being the last two during dinner time at the table having our 2nd and 3rd plates of dinner. My dad has taught me a lot about life, love, family, maturity, strength, and happiness and he never once sat me down and gave me a lesson. My dad has taught us through example and the unspoken word. I love my Dad I only wish we lived closer.
There are a few other dads whom I would like to give a special shout out.
In no particular order. My youngest brother Dustin the father of two beautifully playful girls. Dustin was recently married two his best-friend and mother of his two girls and partner of over 10 years. Thanks for showing us, it is never to late, and always being a pillar of strength in our family and your own.
Next my brother Aaron father of 2 cute blued eyed girls and a joyously energetic little adventure seeking rough and tumble boy. Last year on December 27th my brother suffered a fire in his family home luckily no one was home at the time. However my brother and his family lost a lot of replaceable and many priceless irreplaceable things. Through this all my brother has never skipped a beat while supporting his family and ushering them into their new life with love strength and courage.
My eldest brother is now back home after 9 months in the hospital after a horrible accident on the 401 in which he was ejected from his car. My brother Stanley is now back at home with his family where he is re-learning how to walk among other things. I have crazy love for my eldest brother whom we candidly refer to as a gentle giant. He is back home with his wife and son my very first nephew learning to be a family again. I do not know anyone who could have survived what he has, and come through it all with such endurance, perseverance and awe inspiring hope. Not to mention his comedy, as soon as he could talk he was easing our fears and stress making us giggle and cry in laughter.
Last but not least is my husband, best friend and new father to our 1 year old precious daughter. My husband has stepped up and fulfilled the role of Dad like a champion. When I fall asleep feeding our daughter or am too tired he has always been there to tidy up the house make sure I get something to eat, take my vitamins and help with the baby. My husband never forgets to treat me to my favorite treat and ice capp and always remembers to make me feel special on valentines day. Now that I have started back to work after my year long maternity leave, and my daughter is in daycare. He is my alarm clock and my morning routine go-to guy. He wakes up before me and packs our lunch (if I didn’t the night before) he showers then wakes me up to shower and he wakes up the baby and gets her ready for the day. He is great, he is awesome, and I am happy to call him my husband. My daughter loves him so much she says ” da da daaaaah” all day. Oddly after spending the first year of her life with me all day every day, she only knows my name when she is upset. Lol
I would just like to say thanks to all these special Dads in my life, I am honored and blessed to have you all in my life.
Our first baby went through open heart sugery at 7 months old. I was a wreck and barely held it together eading up to and including the day of the surgery. TO be honest, I didn’t hold it together the day of the surgery. My husband was my rock. Made me eat something, walked me around and spent an obscene amount of overly priced baby items in the hospital gift shop. I am talking baby gates, cupboard locks… the works. Our baby is fine now (thank God, the surgeon and anyone else I can thank) and my hubby is still a great dad and wonderful husband.
I lost my father quite some time ago but there are memories that have stayed with me for life. One of them is the lengths he would go to make the most outrageous breakfasts ever. We could never just have a plain bowl of cereal – it had to have nuts, berries, seeds, raisins, the kitchen sink… everything in it. Over the years I’ve realized that I’m the same and make the same outrageous breakfasts for my daughter. It always makes me smile when I see the finished result because I know he’s cheering me on from above.
Well, I told this story just the other day to my friend, and he teared so I will try it here. We were talking that we did not have the greatest childhood. I said how my dad was a quiet Scotchman, not affectionate at all, but that he was nice and kind, and was never known to raise his voice. But as a young child affection is needed, but what one story I remember about my dad was him giving me a green scarf for my 9th birthday. I was so touched by it then and I have kept that scarf ever since, because it meant so much to me, and I think showing affection was so difficult for my dad, I did not understand it as a young person, but I understood it as I grew up. And I lost my dad a year ago in May and this will be our second fathers day without him, and it does not get any easier.
sharon m.
Best story of my Dad is the fort that he built us when we were growing up, I tried to help as much as possible but being little I just kept getting in the way, I remember him asking me to go get this and go get that, I thought I was being so helpful but it turns out he did this to get me out of his way..lol I love my Dad so much, he was so kind and patient with me as a child
I almost lost my Dad last year as he had a nosebleed terribly and took an ambulance to the hospital. He called at 3AM and told me what happened, but NOT to come to the hospital. As if that was going to happen. I went and they sent us home, saying it’s common. A few days later, he called me at 8AM saying it happened again. I went and there was blood everywhere. He was soooo weak. Before I took him, he said he had to go to the washroom. I asked if he was too weak, he said he was fine. I hear a thud, open the door and he’s convulsing. Called 911 and the ambulance came. While there he said he had to go to the bathroom. I said not to worry, they have a ‘johnny’ which you cam stay in bed. The nurse told me he must stand. I told her what happened and she still insisted. I left the room, and then she coes right out. I’m thinking, you just didn’t leave my weak father standing. Sure enough, I immediately said, Dad, Dad…flew back the curtain and he had the sense thank goodness to turn around fall back on the bed, but he hit his head on the rail, was unconscience and urine everywhere. I came out of the room hollering I need help! 10 people came running including that one nurse who I pointed in her face, and yelled I told you he couldn’t stand. A head nurse told me she’s not even a nurse, but someone they call in when they’re short staffed. I didn’t know how much more I could take. Anyways, crazy times as it was New Years, we had a holiday planned, had to take care of my Dad’s dog (whole other story lol). He was in for 17 days. Turns out it was blood clots in his lung and feet, and thank goodness the blood found a way out his nose. He lost 1/2 his blood, had transfusions, but is a trooper and back to work…and dating! LOL He’s raised my sis and I on his own, we were 16 and 11. When my mom passed from cancer. He’s just a wonderful, sweet man, and he loves his toys…wink, wink…lol
My dad is like a mom & a dad to me he raised both me and my bro age 4 & 8 and did a pretty good job too I totally respect him for holding down a FT job and raising two kids and keeping us feed, in a nice home and with anything we wanted. Its not easy and I know it now that I am an adult! Totally makes you respect it on a new level.
My Father’s day story has to do with a gift from my youngest son Alex. He was in kindergarten, the art project for Fathers day was to make a tie for daddy… He made me a yellow felt tie with multi-colored foam geometric patterns stuck on it.
The pride on his eyes and the smile on his face when I wore that tie with pride to church on Fathers Day Sunday. I still have that tie..
My dad is the quieter intellectual type. He had 5 girls (no boys), but I was the first one to have a grandson. My son follows grandpa everywhere, and he is a hero. From when he was a baby and first born he has dedicated almost every minute when we are visiting to spend time with my son – takes him on all kinds of adventures. I appreciate the time that he spends with my son, and now my daughter also tags along too because she likes to hang out with the boys. I know he won’t be around forever, so I appreciate that he spends so much time really getting to know his grandson.
Playing card games at lunchtime & watching The Flintstones together!I miss him he has been gone 22 years this week.
My best memories are my dad bbqing for us, taking us camping and on picnics, fixing my car.
My dad was a boatbuilder who passed away 20 years ago. One of the many boats he built was a small fishing boat named after me. I always used to enjoy watching him build.
My dad used to just love telling us kids tall stories at the dinner table – we always believed him, including the time he told us that he’d had his throat cut during WWII, that he held it together and made it back to camp and from there to hospital – in fact he’d had a thyroid operation! Mum was usually livid with him but dad loved his bit of fun.
i remember when i was about 5 or 6 and dad took me fishing for the first time ever. We were sitting there half asleep for about an hour. When all of a sudden out of nowhere a fish started thrashing on the shore. I didnt even know I caught anything!! So i freaked out dropped the pole and ran as fast as i could back to the car…needless to say I lost the fish. And I havent gone fishing since! lol
My Fathers day story isn’t about a great time spent with my father or an amazing father daughter memory (my father wasnt the easiest person to live with). But instead it’s a wonderful memory i shared with my mom (who by the way is the best) On this particular Father’s day my brother and i had given my father his gifts that we had made (which he wasn’t to interested in) my mother could see the disappointment and the need for us kids to get out of the house and had us jump in her car with raggedy miss matched clothes on she only requested us to get a hat on our heads. We where so confused as to why we where allowed to go out in house clothes but grabbed our hats without too much hesitation. we grabed her keys unlocked the doors and sat an waited excitedly in her car. At that time i never thought about why she it had taken her a few extra minutes to get out of the house. or the need to place eye drops into her red eyes, but she put her sunglasses on and drove us away from the house. i was so excited for the adventure and couldn’t wait to get to were we where going my mother pulled up to this dirt road that lead to a farm where you could pick your own strawberrys!! we spent the whole day picking, eating, and searching for the perfect juciest strawberries that day! finding a sweet yet cool strawberry was a treat. Row by Row my brother and i filled our baskets and bellys up. From that day on Strawberry picking became our family tradition. I never understood what happened in the moments we waited for our mother but i do remember no matter what she made us feel special, loved, and wanted.
My Dad was like one of those old Western cowboys…he was the strong and silent type. A lot of people were intimidated by him, he was 6’6″ and famous for saying so few words. My Dad’s aloofness hid a very simple characteristic about him….he was extremely shy. He had been a popular singer when I was a kid, so people were disbelieving that he could hate to be the center of attention. He was a great dad, he gave us kids an abundance of smiles, hugs and was the world’s greatest listener.
When I got married I wanted to include my Dad in a way that was most comfortable for him. Both my hubby and I wanted a beach wedding and we did it in a casual, fun way and my Dad was there, but not featured in too prominent a way and it was perfect.
On that day my Dad surprised me..in front of all of our guests he picked up the microphone and started serenading us…no one had heard him sing in years and he had done it for me. Singing “Fly Me To the Moon”-my favorite song. I cried happy tears over that gift.
My father is the best person I know. He once drove four hours through a freak October snowstorm so he could hear me read two poems in front of about fifty people. He hugged me hard, told me how proud he was of me, ate a quick lunch, then got back in his car and drove back home. I was a little miffed at his sudden departure until my grandmother gently mentioned that he had to work the next day.
I recall when I was about 20 and had just gone through a rough time trying to pay my rent and stuff. I decided that I had worked hard enough and bought myself a ticket to Mexico. My mom figured it was a foolish thing to do adn that I should stay home and save money or something foolish like that while my dad was totally supportive and never made me feel like I was wasting my $ at all. I will never forget his support.
My relationship with my Father was more academic than emotional. I was first born and was a girl rather than the expected boy. (My three brothers arrived later.) In many ways, I achieved many things which pleased him. As well, as contributed activities to his disapproval throughout my life. When I was married seventeen years ago, I believe he was relieved I had finely gotten married but sad feeling he was on the sidelines.
The last few years of his life involved cancer challenges, recovery and struggles. He lived a faithful, principled, honest, giving and devoted life. He loved my Mother dearly.
His body was totally exhausted and used when cancer ended his life, two Mother’s Days ago.
On one of my drives to the Cancer Clinic with my parents, he surprised me by commenting that I was a “good driver”. It has stuck with me since then.
My father passed away eight years ago – I was at his bedside when he took his last breath. I miss him dearly, he was the greatest dad ever, he was always there when I needed him.
This story is about my dad. He often told me about how when I was born the nurse came out of the delivery room and told him that I was a baby boy.. And then after a while she came out and told him she made a mistake and that I was a baby girl. He was really happy as both my parents wanted a girl..
My dad is really special to me. Even though we live in so far apart (different continents), thanks to technology – the internet, Skype, email, etc. we are able to communicate each and every day. Miss you daddy.
On my first Father’s day as a step-father, my 3 step kids (who I just call kids now) each got me a love you step-father’s day card. Then we all went golfing together and they thanked me for having someone there to celebrate the day with. My daughter made me a bracelet and my 2 sons cooked (or attempted to) me dinner. All this was orchestrated by my beautiful wife. We are more in love today than ever and have a child together. Every Father’s Day is special for me.
My favourite story about my dad is when he sang a song for me on my wedding day which included the lyrics ”you are my everything”. It moved all the guests and brought tears in my eyes. Love him so much.
My mother told me a story that I was too young to remember about my dad, and it always reminds me just how much he loves me. She said that when I was a toddler, we would all go out to see tennis games. Throughout the entire game, my dad would hold his hand over the top of my head, just in case a ball came flying over to hit me on the head. Apparently I was oblivious to this but my dad would never stop protecting me.
My dad is always there for me whenever I am in a difficult situation
My fathers day story starts with how my father means the world to me he is always there for me cheering me up when I’m down, and he is the one who gets up ealry saturday and sunday mournings and takes me to my rugby games ( he’s never missed one ) he spends countless hours at work so he can pay for my food , my sports , my needs and my wants , he not only means the world to me but as well to my other two sisters and other two brothers who he and my mother have raised to be great role models. It would make him so happy getting this as a gift . He is also the one who goes out every sunday mourning be fore us kids wakes up and gets us coffee and donuts also he makes our dinners for us when my mom has to work late . He leaves work early some days so that hell be able to nake it be fore he has to take me our my older sister to work, he stays up late when we work so that he gives us a ride home . There have been times when my older brothers where at the bar at 2 in the mourning and aren’t able to get them selves home so he get outta bed to go get them doesn’t even make a big deal, doesn’t get mad or bring it up after the fact , he has taken our family to disney land 3 times so that we have a good family vaction. The first time was when I was 12 and then the next time we went he did it over his birthday and because of the cost of the trip him and my mother didn’t have the funds to get him a present . Or at least that’s what they tough but the real present was his whole fanily came down to join us , and it meant the world to him just like he does to me. Long story short. I love my Dad not only is he my Dad he’s my best friend my motovater myteacher and my life I would be no where with out him.
I am so fortunate to me married to the best husband ever! My best Dad story is about him. After the birth of our first baby in Nov 2007, we were sitting in the hospital room staring at this round faced little girlie, staring her big eyes right back at us. The list of girl names we had talked about just didn’t fit her at all. I finally said Jane, how about baby Jane? he wrinkled his nose and said no, it was to plain for His daughter. His daughter was going to be smart, happy and adventurous. A moment later he said Nora, Nora Jane Hansen! It was perfect in every way.
I love that story. He named our second daughter as well, 3 years later. I am so happy my girls and I have such a loving, strong man as a father and husband.
xoxo
My father in law has been DYING for a tablet so I would give this to him. He certainly deserves it. Both my husband and I were laid off from our jobs in 2010 and we moved in with my father and mother in law. My mother in law fell ill and this past October passed away. It’s been a blessing in disguise that we’ve been here and able to care for her while she was sick and now help him out. He could use a tech upgrade and I know would absolutely love this. Plus he deserves it!
Its serendipitous that I should come across this blog post today…I was with my father yesterday, we had a wonderful visit and I think I need to record this occasion somehow.
Almost three years ago, after a near fatal heart attack and an extended hospital stay, as a family we had to make the heart wrenching decision to place my father in an assisted living facility. It was a difficult, no one wanted to do it and it goes well against my Hispanic roots. We just wanted him home but the care was overwhelming for my mother.
Fast-forward and I can honestly say, he has adjusted well, although, it still breaks my mother’s heart on occasion.
When I saw him yesterday, he was in bed avoiding the dining room because he had not been feeling well. His blood pressure had dropped. All part of dealing with a failing heart. I tried in vain to coax him out of bed…if I had to have dinner there, I must admit, I may not have wanted to eat either.
The thing is this…no matter his circumstances, my dad was smiling and laughing and trying to reassure me that he was fine. In fact he was better then fine, he was, and I quote: “the happiest man alive”. That is a tall order for a man that suffers from diabetes that blinded him 4 years ago. He is a triple bypass survivor and because of his weight, is in a wheelchair. His heart continues to challenge him everyday. He has fewer and fewer pleasures in life, he loved his computer but alas, his lack of sight, has taken that pleasure away. To add insult to injury, he was a banker first then a French chef. Good food is what he lived for (and demise) but now all he can do is dream about it.
I love my dad the most (THAT is what I tell him, every time I see him)…and in his 85th year, he is still teaching me a valuable lesson: love life…don’t worry…be happy!
I remember spending hours with my Dad doing Jigsaw puzzles, side by side. We wouldn’t talk too much, but once in a while we would say a few words to each other. I think we just liked doing something together. Funny when we would compete to be the one to put in the final piece. Bet he’d still like doing a puzzle.
This fathers day will be a little lonely since my Dad passed away from cancer in October of 2011. Ever since I can remember, Fathers Day was pretty special in our household as it signified the yearly family fishing day. Dad would take us to his favorite lake and spend time showing us how we should always respect the environment, and give back to the land that we take from. I will always remember this one year we went to the lake with him – he had set up a meeting with the local fisheries officers to show us exactly how they stock the lake with fingerling trout. We sat wide eyed as the fish came out of the hose that was connected to the fishtruck. After fishing for a while, he grabbed garbage bags and we spent the rest of the afternoonn cleaning up the shoreline. He was always so happy when he saw us learning something new. To this day, us kids spend time volunteering at fish hatcheries and waterway cleanup – and teach our own kids how to respect the environment. I’m sure Dad is looking down on his grandkids, smiling at a job well done.
Living in northern Ontario, most men enjoying hunting in the fall. My father left for a week of moose hunting. When he returned, he told that us that he didn’t get a moose, but brought something even better home. He told me to go and look in his truck. So, I ran out there, opened the door and saw nothing. I went back in the house a little disappointed. He asked me if I saw it? No, I said. So he walked back to the truck with me and opened the door. He reached under the seat and pulled out 2 tiny kittens. He found the kittens abandoned. Something must have happened to their Mom. I can’t explain how excited I was to have these kittens. Much better than a dead moose.
What makes my dad great is hes so easy to me if i ask him for something sometimes its a No and sometimes its a yes and he lets me have lots of friends over and i love him because even my friends say hes great my dad has a girlfriend that is so sweet and she makes him happy and if hes happy im happy! My Dad is a Police Officer & he makes our City Safe. My Dad really loves his computer & gadgets so I think he should be the Winner of the Play Book & then I can use it as well! it would mean alot to us thank you and have a great weekend
I have an amazing husband and have always had a rocky relationship with my own father. Even at 37 – my own father has the ability to hurt me. Thankfully I married someone completely different than my own father and I never have to worry that my own children will have to suffer like I have.
Out of the blue my husband said one day (after yet again my father hurt me – by driving all the way from Vancouver Island to Canmore, AB and not calling me or his granddaughters -who were another hour away in Calgary!) – “As a father, I could never imagine doing that to our daughters!” My heart swelled with love for this man – he gets me and his girls – where my poor father still doesn’t (and doesn’t know what he is missing!)
I love my husband and I’m so happy for my little girls to have him!
My father had two girls ( me and my sister) and while I’m sure a boy would have been nice for him he never once made me feel like he missed out by having only girls. To this day he will proclaim his happiness with his two girls! I love him all the more for his unconditional delight and love with having only daughters.
My father is the best because he fulfilled all my legitimate demands and made sure i am always happy.
My Mom was the meanie and Dad was the softy; he always had a big smile and could appreciate a good joke but he was no pushover if you tried to take advantage of him there was a firmness as well. I remember that I did not get my drivers license until I was an adult with two daughters and my Dad watched my two girls for me every day while I took my drivers lessons and bought them a treat; He is a great Dad and Granddad too!
I have fond memories of my dad. I lost him to a heart condition a little shy of my 21st birthday. I sometimes wonder of people have an intuition of when they are going to pass on because I received something on my 21 st birthday that was totally non characteristic of my dad.
Now I remind you he passed way in October and my birthday is in December. Mom handed me a little package and said it was from my dad. No, this not something she did to make me feel better, I knew it was from him.
To complicate things, my birthday is shared with my parents anniversary. Are you confused yet? To celebrate what would have been their 35th wedding anniversary, dad had a special ring made containing her diamond, and her mother’s diamond. Dad had the old mount from grandma’s ring and had a green garnet set for me. This was all his idea.
So here on a bitter sweet day missing the man most important in my life. Mom admiring her generations of diamonds and my new ring from my dad, I cherish the sediment and thought.
I am now 53 years old, wear the ring with pride a remember a man that thought ahead of himself.
He was a friend to everyone. Calm, funny and admired by all. Funny I found a husband with the same characteristics.
(on a sadder note..mom passed away 6 months after dad. Makes me feel lonely at times, but they were crazy about each other and they are together. I find that comforting to know that)
My Dad is a great teacher. He has the ability to figure out a way to teach something to someone that they are having trouble learning. I remember having a terrible time learning to tie my shoes. I just could not seem to do it. My Dad got a piece of rope and place it around the back of the stools in the kitchen. That gave me something bigger to hang on to. Then he taught me the alternate method where you start with two loops and tie those together. I never did learn the way that most people tie their shoes. Now forty five years later, I think of him when I tie a bow in my shoe laces.
It took us a long time to be able to relate to each other after my mother died when I was 12. I adored her but thought of him as a piece of the furniture!
When I was a small child, my Dad was a travelling sales rep for a medical company. He covered most of British Columbia, which meant a lot of travel. In the summer months, he would pack up my Mom and I, and later my brother, Mom and I, and we would go with him, spending our days around a swimming pool waiting for him to return. I saw a lot of the interior of BC that way.
When I was a bit older, Dad was transferred to Victoria and covered all of Vancouver Island. Once we were in our teens, Dad would ocassionally take my brother or I with him on a trip up the Island. I will never forget staying at the original Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino. The sounds of the waves from the Pacific crashing on the shore. The massive perfectly round rocks that doted the shoreline. The smell of the sea….or my Dad teasing me that the restaurant kitchen had a whole in the floor and they fished out my dinner from it!
Travelling with Dad was a great way to see the Island and to share time with him – and to get to understand what being a grown up and working for a living was all about. To this day, Dad and I are super close.
**If I am lucky enough to win, the tablet will go to Dad. When he was visiting recently, he picked up my new tablet and after a few minutes of instruction was off surfing the net and reading newspapers from around the world. I would love it if I could gift one to him so that he could do that at home, too!
Every time I think of my dad and what he’s accomplished and where he came from, tears well up! When he was 9, he and his 5 yr old brother went to the park, while they were there the younger brother had a heart attack, my dad being scared stayed with his brother, after 20 min he ran home to get help, but his brother died, they blamed him and put him in a foster home (his dad beat him) they were so poor he didn’t even have shoes, this was in Austria. After years of abuse at the home he left with one dollar in his pocket on a 6 man boat where a ship picked him up and brought him to Canada. When he arrived he became a mechanic and was well known as the best, to owning his own business which was a huge sucsess! My dad taught us to ride a bike, play baseball and taught me to skate and ski when I was 4 years old. No matter how poor we were the first few years he always took us on a 2 week holiday every summer. I remember for my sister’s birthday his car had broken down so he took the bus, he came home walking 3 blocks from the bus stop hauling his lunch box and a pool with a slide for her birthday, he hauled this on the bus with 2 bus transfers. He made sure each of us girls got a car when we turned 16 so we didn’t have to depend on other people or wait at a bus stop at night. He also started us both with a down payment on a house, but so we didn’t get a free ride we had to come up with half. We always had to be in school or have a job, but he backed us in whatever we did. My dad can fix anything, it dosn’t matter what it is he can do it. I am so proud of my dad he went from that abused child to retiring a millionaire through hard work and saving like no one I ever seen. My dad still has not bought himself a new car but my mom has had a lot of them! My dad stays in great shape by riding bikes, walking and working in his retirement, he is 75 now and has beat the big C 3 times, has never smoked, drank or ever laid a hand on us, he taught me a lot of life lessons I am so grateful for, how to treat other’s, work ethics, saving money etc, he will help anybody to a fault. When I got real sick and couldn’t take the heat we went and stayed at a hotel for 2 days because I was getting welts, when we returned their was air conditioning installed in out home which was our birthday and Christmas gifts for the year, I felt so much better thanks to my dad. I love and cherish him and hope he is with me for a lot of years to come:)
My father left his job at an early age just so that he could be more involved in our lives and for that I’m truly appreciative!
My dad has been gone now for 12 years and I still miss him. He was funny, kind, a shocking cook – but we loved his cooking anyhow!, patient, loved to show us new- to-us – old things and toys that he had valued growing up, always had time for us and we were 6 kids), always smiled when I brought him and mum tea in bed – even if it was strong enough to melt the spoon, he loved telling jokes and taught me that the way I act towards others – even if I am angry, should always be measured with respect. Loved that he saw my 1st daughter – still greiving he never saw number 2.
I have really fond memories growing up of my dad taking me all over for hockey. We had tournaments all over. He took time off work driving me around. We had a blast! I loved staying in hotels with him, eating out — he made me feel like I was the most important person around.
I lost my father not too long ago to the same cancer I had at the age of 21…and I miss him every minute of everyday. I have several amazing memories of my Dad and it is hard to choose just one without writing you a book. So, I will choose the most vivid one…
Ten years ago, my husband committed suicide in our garage at home. As I am sure you can imagine it was beyond devastating for both my 2 boys (12 & 14 at the time) and myself. The actual day that it occurred, my father came to my home to wait with me for the coroner. Afterward, he took me home with him. He was as shocked as everyone else and my father was always a ‘macho’ type man cool as a cucumber in any situation, except for this…
I remember sitting across from him on the couch and I was sitting silently obviously in shock myself and all I remember is seeing him sitting across from me, looking into my eyes as I watched the tears flow from his eyes. He didn’t say anything at all at this point he just stared at me and cried silently. When it was time to go to the funeral home to make the arrangements, he went with me. As soon as I entered the room where all of the urns and caskets were, it hit me at that very moment and I fell to my knees screaming hysterically. I was told later that I sounded like a wounded animal and truly I felt like one. I had no control whatsoever and frankly had never lost control of myself like that before. My father picked me up off the floor, literally and carried me to the lounge area. He was not a large man either and to this day I have no idea how he carried me that far…
When the arrangements were finally made, I returned to my parent’s home. My parents were married a mighty long time and had never spent a night apart in 30 years. My father decided to sleep on the couch that night and I slept with my mother while she held me the entire night as if I were still a little girl. I have no idea how I would have ever survive then and the following months without the support of my Dad. My father was an amazing man & the world was a better place with him in it. I sure do miss him!
As a kid, it was always my dad who took me swimming and skating. Every summer we would get in the car and drive from Edmonton to Vancouver for a holiday. The best part was staying in a motel with an outdoor pool. My dad would spend a lot of time in the water with me. My favorite was when he would pick me up and toss me. Only now, as a parent, do I understand how exhausting a child I must have been…. Again! Again! Again!
My Dad would take me and my Brother–in Hamilton to Dundurn Castle–To play around and see the birds in the cages—He would always talk to the Peacocks and they always showed their feathers to my Dad–Never worked for me and my Brother–So we thought he was actually talking to the Birds—Well after my Dad passed away 2 years ago–I went home and i took a walk around Dundurn Castle—When i saw the Peacocks i tried to get them to Show there Feathers–No luck–But as i was turning to walk away–One Peacock walked right up to me And Spread his Feathers so Proud—I knew my Dad was Talking to this Bird in that Moment–I thanked the Bird and my Dad..
Now i take my Child to see the Peacocks and i Think of my Dad..
My Dad was never the overly affectionate type nor was he one to express his feelings. But my dad was a good man and a hard working one. He got me interested in the sport of cycling and I went on many bike rides with him. And this is something that I still have a passion for today.
My Dad loved it when we all could get together at a family gathering and he loved hosting a good party. And my Dad especially loved getting the family together at Christmas. When we arrived from out of town, he would greet us at the door with some Christmas Cheer.
Dad passed away a few years ago so Father’s Day is a little bittersweet. (And Mom just passed away last week)
This Father’s Day, I am comforted in knowing that Dad and Mom are together once again!
My story is about my husband….
We have a young special needs child. He is our one and only. I have always been the on-hands type, outgoing, outspoken…not letting the world dictate what our child will do, and have taken matters into our own hands to help him be the best person he can be.
My husband loves his son very much but has difficulty dealing with the situation at times. We have been exposed to a whole different world, one most people probably would not be be accepting of unfortunately.
Recently our son stood on skates for the first time. My husband has taken great pride in this accomplishment. My soft spoken husband cheered so loudly for our son it brought tears to my eyes. With the coming of our son, we have been humbled and appreciate the moment. My husband now volunteers what little time he has to special needs sports activities, and helps other children who don’t have parents to “cheer” for them.
I would love to give this prize to my husband for Father’s Day from his son. He works so very hard to support us, and asks for nothing in return.
He really is a great Dad. 🙂
My father was always the unemotional type, until now that he is older. I wish he could have been this way when he was young.
Some of the best times with my Dad were when i was between 9-12 years old. My dad is a logger and would get up at such an early obscene hour of the morning most days of the week, 2-3am! He would wake me up to go fishing with him and on our way out to our favorite fishing spot, he would take me for breakfast at the local cafe where all the town loggers would hang out and have breakfast and coffee before heading to work. I would walk in with him and he would be greeted by all the local guys and they would all say hi to me or make some sort of comment about “his lucky fishing charm” with him. We would sit and have the biggest breakfast then drive out in his old work truck that was always full of work gear and go fishing, where i always seemed to catch the biggest or the most fish.
I remember the trips I took with my Dad when I was a kid. We travelled to Disneyland and went on a lot of rides. Space Mountain was my favourite. The line ups were long, but the excitement built as we got closer to the entrance gate. I loved the darkness of the cave as we got onto the rocket. At the end of the ride, we were so excited to see how Dad was doing. For an old guy, he loved it too. I could tell that he was just so happy feeling our excitement also, as we ran off to the Pirate Ship ride next.
This is the very best prize being given away on the web on any blog. I am upset because this is a prize I would love to win above most all others, except for maybe a computer, which I need so very badly. I am not eligible. I live in the USA!!?? why?? PLEASE! Have a great prize like this, and include me, someone that needs it!
My fondest memory is from a Christmas Eve when my dad actually got up on the roof of the house and stomped around to make my sister and I think that Santa was up there. Of course we didn’t know it was my dad at the time and my sister and I got to bed VERY quickly!
Where do I begin. My father is the most unselfish person you could ever meet. I remember alot of times growing up that he would give us his last dollar to be able to go out with the youth group after church for a bit to eat. He has strong faith in God and always believes that God will supply our needs. He worked many years for Baxters making good money but then he had a skull fracture. He was forced to quit his job due to medical reasons and ended up working at a gas station making less than half of what he made at his previous job. He is a very hard worker and chose to still work rather than go on welfare. If he sees that someone needs help, he is quick to offer.
He is not only a great dad but an outstanding grandfather. Often, he and my mother offer to take the grandkids out to Tim Horton’s for timbits (this has become a Saturday morning favourite.) They also take them overnight. I’ve seen it at times where they have had up to 12 grandkids at their place at one time overnight. He wants what is best for us all and offers advice when he can. He prays for his children and grandchildren daily and we appreciate it so much. He’s a real good man!
My Dad was wonderful he was not my biological father but he raised me like his own. I will never forget the night he said to me “I may not be your Father but I will always be your Dad.” That was in our hotel room after spending the day in Disneyland. Sadly these memories are all I have now but I cherish them. I also value my time with my children very much because life is too short sometimes. My husband is also a wonderful hard working Father because he is self employed and supports our family of 4 on his own, which can be very stressful at times. Needless to say we don’t always have extra money for all the new gadgets coming out, but we all love our technology.
I LOVE MY DAD!! He is always looking out for his kids! He is always bringing us to comic book conventions and we have a BLAST! We’ve met Mary Anne from Gilligans Island, Levar Burton, Billy Dee Williams, the cast of Vampire Diaries, Jeri Ryan and the guy who was in R2-D2!He is truly the best Dad ever!
My dad was the kindest and most generous man I ever knew, always ready to put me high on a pedastool and support me in any way he could.
When I was 19 and still a new driver, he came with me on a 4 hour drive to London, England, for an interview, having to get up in the middle of the night so we could get there in good time for the 9 am appointment and taking a day off work to do so.
The traffic of course was a nightmare, and by the time we got close to the location we were in gridlock and I was having fits… at the time, the job as an air hostess was my ultimate dream. Dad kept me calm and took over the wheel when I began to panic, even though he hadnt driven for some 20 years or more.
Back then, GPS wasnt even heard of and the building that the interview was held in was so new that it was even on my outdated map.
When I called the secretary, she couldnt help with my directions but did say the group interview with the other candidates could be held for 30 minutes until I could get there. Well, lets just say those 30 minutes just ticked away with me becoming more and more upset and I was devastated when I finally arrived and the secretary regretfully advised me the group had had to leave for the next location to start the testing! I came out to find my dad waiting, a sorry smile on his face and I could see that he was just as upset as me… he wanted my dreams to come true more than I did. But he was there, and that was all that mattered, and as silly as it seems today, I had never needed him more than at that moment.
Dad took me to the car with his arm around my shoulder and both our hearts sinking, he didnt say a word… we had both tried so hard to get there! I cried a lot that day and he held my hand as he began to drive the long journey home, stopping half way a big old pub where he treat me to comfort food and kind words about how there would always be next time and things happen for a reason in this world… he was right too… By the time I was invited for the next interview several months later, I had found a job in fantastic organisation where I had made some great new friends and felt perfectly at home. Suddenly, the job away from home didnt seem so appealing to me.
But the one thing I will always remember about that time is how my dad was there for me in every possible way to do his absolute best in trying to get me to where I wanted to be in life. He was my rock, that day and in so many other ways… this is just one example of how he enriched my life and made me who I am today. I understand my story may not be as exciting or moving as others and thats fine, the memories I have are worth their weight in gold…Ive writted this story with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart in my chest. Its been 7 years since I lost my dad to a short and agressive battle with cancer. I miss him everyday, but I have his love around me and his guidance and support to make my dreams come true… one way or another. I feel proud and privilaged to have called this man my dad and know in my heart we will meet again and he is saving me a seat beside him in heaven.
I don’t have a very special story of my dad. But I remembered that when I was a child, the school that I studied requires parent’s signature for all tests and exams when we got the results (so that it could make sure parents know the marks of their children). I remembered that whenever I got a not so ideal marks on some exams/tests, I would wake up my father very early in the morning while mom was preparing breakfast in the kitchen and asked him to sign my tests/exams without telling mom about it. And he would do it every time when I asked and promised that it would be a secret between us. Of course, when I grow up, I knew that he had told mom about it or my mom would know about it since my mom knew about all my exam schedules and knew that there would be results and she’s the one normally sign them. But at least, he got my mom to keep it slient and I did not need to face punishment from my mom.
My dad has a fine bass voice and was always in demand for solos at church. This one time my middle brother was about 3 years old. I was 6. Dad had just sung a moving solo (time of year and title now lost in the mists of time). There was an appreciative hush after the last note rang out. And then my little brother gave voice to an “EWWWW! YUCK!”. Cue for congregation and family to collapse into helpless titters. It’s gone down in family folklore, needless to say.
I have a lifetime love for Fireworks thanks to my Father. He would light up the sky every Victoria Day weekend, always on the Monday night, because that was the holiday, so we got to stay up late on a school night. My Mother always hoped for rain, so the rooftops of the neighbours would be safe. We would have 100+ people on the street out front of our house as people came from everywhere once the saw the sparkling night sky.
My favourite father story isn’t my father, but my daughter’s. She’s only 15 months old, so we still have a lot of stories to make, but the first few minutes of her life were amazing. I’d been in labour for three days – she was face-up, and I was determined to get through it without drugs or surgery. When she finally made her appearance, I was exhausted and so was my husband. He was the one who ‘caught’ her, and even had the presence of mind after so many exhausting days to take photos of her first minutes, which we treasure now. What an amazing day – and an amazing dad!
Really? I don’t have a very great story about my Dad, but my Granddad is an amazing man. My favourite story about him is when he was working in South Africa and I flew over to tour around for a bit (I was in my early twenties) and then meet up with him for a visit. We went to stay at a resort just outside of Kruger Park and the receptionist was checking us in and said, “Feel free to look around the resort; just make sure you stay on the walking paths, or the Hippos will get you.” We both laughed heartily before realizing she was looking at us with a dead serious expression. Yeah…she wasn’t joking. lol
My father gave me the best 19th birthday, he took me and some friends for dinner and to clubs all night until closing. When we got back home he had steaks marinating and BBQ’ed for us at 3am. It was so wonderful and so much fun that I could almost forget for an evening that my mother was so sick with cancer, we lost her 5 months later.
My dad was always working alot to support our family. So he would work at his full time job and then work weekends and evenings to make sure we had a roof over our heads and clothes and if we were lucky one activity a year. I didn’t even realize at the time that we were one of the poor families.
So sometimes in the evenings when my dad would go to his second or third job which was working for a farmer driving a tractor. I would go with him I thought the tractor he was driving was so large and nice it had air conditioning and a radio. We would spend hours talking a singing while dad was driving. Every once in a while dad would say do you see that. No I seen nothing it was dark and all I seen was miles and miles of feild in front of the lights. Dad would say its a baby bunny right there only 15 meters infront of us. I still wouldn’t see nothing. Dad would say you want to hold it of course what 9 year old dosen’t wan to hold a baby bunny he would stop the tractor jump out and be out side in front of the lights running around and come back into the cab with a baby bunny for me to hold.
My dad always found time to spend with us even if it was to take us along to work. I never felt his work was more important than I was. I realize now how hard he had to work to give us what we had.
My Dad died about 25 years ago, and since my parents were separated, I do not recall a lot of times with my Dad…but I will share a story of my Husband, who in my eyes is the epitome of a Father Figure…
Our Son Sebastian, now almost 4 years old, was born with some complications and he and I both had to be in intensive care. My Husband, Tom, at that time worked 2 jobs with a third one on weekends. Yet, he made sure he was there every night in the hospital with us. He was the first one to feed our son, since I was in IC, he was the first to have his finger held by our Son. When we were both discharged from the hospital, Tom was the one to be the first at Sebastian’s side at night, should he cry. They would always fall asleep in the same way, same pose. It’s a bond no one else has.
Fast forward to 4 years, recently our Son made a comment about his Daddy working hard: “Mommy, Daddy works a lot and he works hard, but I love him”. It just puts into perspective what kind of a Man he is. We are dealing with some tough times now, as a lot of families out there, but our Son smiles and is a healthy and rambunctious 4 year old, as he should be and that is all that matters. Yet, in a hard working day, Tom still has the strength and love to spend time with Sebastian, which equates to double play time, read him a book and talk to him about his day in daycare, before they both turn in for the night. He is an amazing Man and a Husband, but most importantly, he will always be our Son’s Daddy, that he loves so much!
My Dad has always been a hard working man. I remember a time when I was a little girl, my Dad was working on the Massey (tractor) and I was bored, so I decided I wanted to “help”. Well I was at that age where I wasn’t very useful, but my Dad always tried to include me, even when it made his life harder. He showed me all the patience in the world as I handed him random tools from the tool box. He would just take them and say thank you, then set them on the ground beside him and continue with what he was doing. Well I had no idea what my Dad was actually doing, but I was so proud that I was being so “helpful”. My Dad stepped away for a minute to get something, so I decided to be even more “helpful”, I reached over and twisted of this cap thing Dad was fiddling with and a whole pile of oil poured all over the tools that I had so “helpfully” handed my Dad. Well, at that point most Dads would have been boiling over, especially since I was specifically told not to touch anything. However, my Dad held his temper and very sweetly asked me to get the box of rags out of the garage, and we sat down next to all the oil covered tools and spent the next half an hour cleaning them up and putting them back in Dads toolbox. (I should probably mention I handed him almost everything out of his big stand up toolbox.) Then Dad sweetly thanked me for all the “help”, and told me to go take a brake from all the hard work and have some lunch. So while mom, my sister and I ate our lunch, my Dad tried to hurry and get the Massey going before I came out to “help” him again.
Now that I have kids of my own, I always remember how calm and patient my Dad was, espesially when my kids decide to “help” me with something I don’t want help with. 🙂
I never forget how me and my father did save little bird on the fathers day…
it is a best memory of my father
I have so many happy memories and stories about my Dad and I miss him so much. I have a picture of my Dad, my older brother and I, my Mom must have taken it from the sundeck above, you can’t see our faces, just our backs and we’re cleaning bikes. We lived near Sudbury and after a long winter we were always excited to get our bikes out. Every spring without fail my Dad would help us, clean up the bikes, make sure they were running well and most importantly, were safe. We were always happy doing it, talking, laughing, joking around. The best memories I have of my Dad aren’t doing some big, exciting thing, it was working with him, playing with him, water fights, swimming, laughing, always joking, walking, talking and always thinking he’d be there. This will be my first Father’s Day without him, but I will never forget the gifts he gave us – his time, his love, his patience, his laughter, his kindness, his honesty, and his smile which made me feel like I could do anything. I miss you so much Dad, but you’ll always be in my heart.
My favourite memories of my dad are bike rides along muddy terrain, his lack of baking know-how – one time actually baking tooth picks into a cake in his confusion to differentiate poking to see if it’s done, all so he could make my mom a homemade Black Forest cake from scratch. Seeing the way that he respects and loves my mother. Swimming and camping, putting up tire swings, and his enchanting young-at-heart ways.
My Story with my dad is when I was in grade 3 living backhome, we were not having car. My father used to drive a moped (2 wheel basic scooter with chain like motorcycle) . I always used sit in front of him standing on the lower part of moped and he used to drive behind me. He used to occasionally allow me to hold the handle while he will hold from outside, I will hold from inside of handle. That moment when I was kid, I used to feel as if I m driving the moped and taking my father on trip ! :d
One day my father gave me for freedom, he left his hands from handle and I was all alone steering!! Though of-course he was controlling the balance from his weight etc. but I felt so nice given freedom to handle and given responsibility to drive! Now when I think those days and reason, I felt what I learned from my father is invaluable!! He imparted me with that freedom, that idea of responsibility & along with all fun with basic things available in life!! I felt now having all luxury and facility here…that still I m missing those days…that freedom and fun of life 🙂
I can’t remember any specific story, but my dad is pretty amazing; he raised my brother and I on his own, as my mom had left us. Having my own kids, I can only imagine how tough that must have been!
My Dad was a smart salesman, a real smooth talker and yet for some reason, when it came to pets he wasn’t the sharpest tool in his attache case.
For easter when I was 5 he came home with 2 bunny rabbits. No cage, just gave them to me and my older sister. Scamper was the charcoal one and mine. Thumper ( not very original) was a peachy coloured one and my sister’s first choice.
One would think that this was a pretty sweet gift for his girls, he adored us. However he didnt’ think to check the sex of these adorable little furballs. So not long after , we had 14 additional ( yup 14 I have the picture in an album somewhere of them running around in my Scooby Doo wading pool) he built a hutch and we had to give away the babies when they were old enough. Dad I love you, love your spirit of giving with your heart and will never forget that lesson learned …. get the all the facts right from the get go!!!! xoxoxoxo
My father passed away when I was 5 yrs old and my favorite memory of him is when he would come home from work with a box of smarties in his shirt pocket for me. He would play a game where he’d shake the box so I would come running to him and ask for them but he would always say he didn’t know what I was talking about, that he didn’t have smarties for me! After a bit of teasing and hugs I would eventually be given my treat!
My mom worked part time and usually evenings so she could be home for school related stuff and after-school activities. So as a result I spent a lot of quality evening time with my dad. When I was older (mid teens) we would regularly go out for dinner together and just talk. I could talk to him about almost anything: boys, school, friends. If something was going on in my life and I needed an ear, he was it.
Sometimes I feel badly I didn’t have that kind of relationship with my mom but at least I had one parent to talk to 🙂
My favourite father’s day memory is the year when my dad said we were going camping for father’s day. Unfortunately his work got in the way and he had to cancel our family trip but on father’s day he set-up our tent in the backyard and we camped out for the night.
My dad was just like any other dad. he grew up in the country, simple upbringing, and he was a simple man. he liked to hunt, to fish, to camp. loved his kids. didn’t matter how hard he’d worked all day, when he came home, he always had time for us (my brother and i) He was never emotional about anything. He hardly cried when his father passed away (probably putting on a strong face for the kids).
I remember fishing trips, and i mean TRIPS, we’re talking 2.5 to 4 hours of portaging from lake to lake, just to get to a little island in the middle of a lake in the middle of nowhere. why? because he wanted his kids to get into an epic mess of fish. he went ridiculous lengths to ensure that my brother and I had memories we’d carry for the rest of our lives. We were never rich in possessions, but we are disgustingly rich in memories.
I was able to finally repay him, and see something i’d never seen before. I gave him a grandson, and finally saw the old stone weep. and I did it again three years later when i let him hold his granddaughter for the first time too.
My dad spent weeks building me a hope chest that I could take away with me when I left for university. Then he drove it with the rest of my stuff across 4 provinces!
I was born in 1989, the first person to hold me was my Dad; according to him I looked up and gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen. This was the beginning of a father/daughter relationship that only grew stronger and better as time carried on. My family consists of my Dad, my Mom, my 3 Sisters, 3 Brothers and myself (of course). Despite so many kids, my Dad always made sure he had time for all of us.
I have so many great memories of My Dad and I, it is hard to name just one! He has always been a dedicated and loving father. As a baby I had trouble sleeping. The only time I would fall asleep if I was in my car seat and going for a ride. I gave my dad so many sleepless nights, he would drive for hours around our neighborhood just to help me fall asleep.
Another funny memory is when it was my first day of Kindergarten my dad took me to my class. I didn’t like my teacher or the other classmates and I just wanted to go home. My dad told me not to worry and I will have fun. He left the classroom. I ran to the open window with my pigtails bouncing in the air and said “Daddy, Daddy wait I forgot to hug you!!” Happily my dad came to the open window, leaned in for a hug and I grabbed his neck and wouldn’t let him go! I kept yelling “Daddy take me home now!” It took a teacher and two other people to get me away from the window.
My dad is also very creative – When I was growing up my dad and I would get together and make so many great toys, toys that no other kid would have! It was so much fun and I really loved the time spent making them.
Last year, after months of waiting to visit my family, I went as a surprise visit for Father’s Day. My ticket cost so much that I couldn’t afford to even by my dad something small. When everyone started handing them his gifts my eyes swelled up with tears. I felt so bad for not getting anything. My dad looked at me and said “Are you okay?” I said “Daddy I feel so bad that I couldn’t buy you anything..” He smiled at me, gave me a big hug and said “you coming here to visit was a gift in it’s own.” I cried some more after that just because those words really did mean a lot to me.
My Dad is one of the most simple people I know, his family is his world. Even though I am 23, when I go home to visit, my Dad still spoils me like he always did. He makes me my favorite breakfast every morning, tells us stories, he takes us to the lake, we go for walks, he makes us dinner, we play badminton, watch movies, and he always surprises me with my favorite brownies I can’t find anywhere else. Every moment spent with him is quality time.
At the moment I live a 24 hour drive away from my parents. It is hard to visit as often as I would like because both flights/bus tickets are extremely expensive. But it’s the memories that keep me happy (and sane) living so far from home. My Dad is someone who has always encouraged me to believe in myself. He has done everything possible to help me follow my dreams even if it meant he had to sacrifice his own dreams. We have been through all the ups and downs in life but one thing has always remained, he has always stuck by my side. My dad is someone I will always look up to; if it wasn’t for him and his words of wisdom, selfless actions and caring advice I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today. I love you Dad!
My parents divorced when I was ten, and my dad moved back to the United States, so I didn’t see him more than a couple of times a year. I was so excited to be able to visit him there for his 50th birthday some 25 years ago but I had a dilemma — what could I buy him as a gift? Frankly, I knew little about “dad stuff” in general, having grown up with just my mom over the years; as a child I had bought him aftershave (Old Spice, the standard gift), ties, and other stuff you bought for your dad, without really knowing what it was dads liked. But now as an adult, I needed to buy him a gift — what to do? I spent at least a month running around the city looking for the perfect item. What do you buy for a dad you barely see or know, but for whom you want to do something special? I finally went to a men’s store and got him a really cool vintage model car (about a foot long — I couldn’t afford a real one, lol) — and he was crazy about it and hugged me. I felt a wave of relief come over me, as I’d done my job well.
My dad use to work as a linesman for Bell Canada and whenever he had to drive us kids around the city , he would always take shortcuts through back lanes and always give a history of all of the houses and buildings that he worked on. Over the course of years and getting my own licence and driving in the city I have turned into my father by giving my kids their own “history” lessons of the city. Everytime that I have found myself doing that, I laugh out loud and say to whoever is in the car with me That I have become my father.
My dad was a captain of a Great Lakes freighter. He was away for most of the year – the water way was open from thaw to freeze each year, about 8 – 9 months. Thus he was away more than he was home. One one of his infrequent times at home he and I took our little boat out on beautiful Georgian Bay and fished. I talked incessantly and never got a nibble. After a while we decided, OK, my dad finally decided that there were not going to be any fish caught, what with me not being able to be quiet – I was scaring the fish he said…we went back to shore. While we loaded the boat onto the trailer one of the the commercial fishing boats came into the harbour. My dad, being a homegrown boy, knew the skipper. We went over and bought a fish to take home! I didn’t even know you could do such a thing. I was mighty impressed by my dad for doing that. We never told my mom where the fish came from. All she knew was she we went fishing and came home with fish.
My dad has been dead now for almost 17 years. I wish I had the chance to know him better.
I didn’t have a Dad growing up, but I did have one heck of a Grandpa. Before I was school-age, I would hang out with my Grandparents while my Mom went to work. Each morning I would “help” my Grandpa tinker and putz around in the basement of the local legion where he had set up a museum of all things WWll. I would play with his old Dymo tape labelmaker, old war medals, uniforms and photos. After that, we would head out to the graveyard where he was the caretaker for the Veteran lot. We would straighten flowers, pick up litter that had drifted in and tidy. Afterwards we would venture into the “woods” behind the graveyard where it bordered with the golfcourse and collect lost balls. We would complete our special time together with lunch followed by a bowl of canned cherries that my Grandma had made. To this day, 17 years after he passed, I have my own old Dymo labelmaker which I use for EVERYTHING, his museum – “The Beaver Room” in Humboldt, SK is still there, and I get a happy little feeling should I ever come across a random golfball. Canned cherries take me all the way back to that time when I was 4, I just can’t seem to can them quite like Grandma used to. Sniff, sniff, I sure miss that man.
I remember being a kid – youngest of three – and my dad in his thick black rimmed glasses sitting patiently letting us put curlers in his short hair and paint his face with mom’s Avon samples. What true love to sit so patiently and let us take pictures of him all done up. Still brings a smile to my face almost 40 years later
My Dad was a no nonsense kinda guy. In the car he would turn around and smack you good for misbehaving. Boy those were the good old days!
My dad was awesome! He was a kind and gentle family man with a great sense of humour – though I think we were the only ones who got to see his silly side. When my mom had surgery to remove pancreatic cancer with 4 young children at home, my dad stepped up while working full time and did everything he could to make sure life carried on as normal for us kids. (I think it took some alcohol to get through it all, but who wouldn’t need that?!) My mom’s recovery took many years and Dad was a trooper through it all. Unfortunately, 8 years ago, my hero was diagnosed with colon cancer. Through all the treatments and crappy days, he did what he could to make sure we were all ok. On Christmas morning 2005, he was in really bad shape, but left the hospital to spend what he knew would be his last Christmas with his family. Now my most cherished memory of my dad is when he got up from his chair and struggled to join us at the table for our traditional xmas brunch (which of course includes Caesars and lots of jokes!) Anyhow, he did his best to join in. Then out of no where he stopped the conversation to tell us how much he loved us and how lucky he was to have us as a family. Not too many people feel love and luck when they know their days are numbered. About a month later, he was gone. Father’s Day is somewhat a sad day for me, though it helps that I get to celebrate my wonderful husband along with our little boy. And thinking of that xmas morning will always put a smile on my face.
My father passed away over 4 years ago. I did not know him well. He was mentally ill. He was an angry man and he eventually left me, my Mum and 2 sisters to move to Ottawa. However, he was my dad and I loved him. He loved fishing and camping. My sisters and I would take turns fishing with dad. He loved his canoe. He eventually built an all cedar canoe with his brother.
When my son was little and in kindergarten his father and i were divorced. His dad wasn’t around often and never played the proper “father” role with him. The school got the kids to make Father’s Day cards and a clay animal that they baked and painted themselves. So when Father’s Day rolled around i was encouraging him to call his father when he turned to me and said, “Mums can be daddys too” and gave me the clay dragon he made and said the card would go to his father when he next saw him. I still have the clay dragon up on the mantle!
My Dad was kind of a scrooge about Christmas when I was a kid. I mean, you could tell that his heart was in the right place, but he was just not really into decorating or preparing or jolly Christmas cheer. He was especially grumpy about putting up the Christmas lights. We had the same tired old string of blue and red lights (eventually light blue and pink) that were left up year round.
Well, then the year he retired (after teaching high school for 30 years – if that doesn’t make you grumpy, what will?) I came home for Christmas, and the house was lit up with all sorts of Christmas lights. There were lights around every window and all over the hedge. I’m not sure if it was his retirement or if there was some other reason for his transformation, but it was lovely to see. From that year on, he has been very much involved in the Christmas preparation. I always catch a glimpse of him and my Mom preparing the 18 stockings for their kids and spouses and grandchildren.
This is about my Husband who is a great Dad. Everyday of being a Father to our 2 boys. From getting the kids ready for school to making breakfast and taking them to school. Also playing with them if with toys to video games to outdoor play. He has been a part of there lives everyday. Before work and after work. Calling home after the kids come home from school to ask how there day was. He cares about our boys. Great Dad and great Husband.
I met my dad when I was a teenager, I love Fathers day and have many great memories but mostly just going fishing together. he loves fishing
I had a great Dad. He was always there if I needed anything. He was never pushy or in your face. He would quietly go about doing what was goo for you. I was lucky enough to find a husband with the same qualities. I think my kids are blessed to have such a great Dad.
My Dad who celebrates 92 years of living this year has devoted his life to providing and supporting his family. He is totally dedicated to my Mother after 70 years of marriage. Their commitment to their life together is a great example for their family and the community.
My Dad was always there for us, even if he was not very verbal. We always knew we could count on him for support. We did not have a lot of “things” growing up, but we were always together.
my dad is such a wonderful man when i had my oldest daughter he took me to the hospital where i delivered my daughter the cord was wrapped around her neck where her face was very bruised if it wasn’t for him she wouldn’t be here he looked at the doctor and told him to enduce labour shortly after i had my daughter she is now 11 we lived with him where he would help me no matter what happened if she needed something and it was his last dollar he would give it to her even if it ment he had to walk to work that day it never mattered to him he was so happy to have her in his life that he would do anything for her he was so sad and depressed when i gave up my first daughter to my aunt cause she couldn’t have a child and i was young and knew i couldn’t do it that he made sure she had the best he could give her and me and never complained once to this day she still holds a place in his heart he is such a very special person couldn’t ask for a better person to be in my life
My memories of growing up with my Dad are very fond. I remember him being busy with work (he was a high school teacher, who did a lot of coaching) He was also super involved in the community and with several foundations, but I remember him being a very present and loving Dad. He always had time to play with us, take us to the beach, hang out at our cabin, help us with our homework, and on Father’s Day he did not disappear to go do his own thing he spent time with us. In 2004 I was very fortunate to spend my Dad’s last Father’s Day with him. I had flown home with my 7 month old son, to be with my Dad as he was ill. I was able to be with him for about 4 weeks. I feel blessed to have had this last bit of time with him. I am also grateful to my wonderful Husband for giving up his first Father’s Day with his son, so that I could have one last one with my Dad. I am glad that my son was able to be with his Grandpa for one Father’s Day.
It is now 8 years later and we have 4 children, and although 3 of them will never meet their amazing Grandpa, I try to give them as many stories as possible to let them know who he was. I also try to make Father’s Day as special as possible, to give both my Husband and Children fond memories.
The family used to be very complacent about our health. Dad got us to put a value on living life to the fullest, while still watching what we ate. The result: Mom lost 55 pounds, Dad 115 pounds, and I lost 25 unwanted pounds. Now, we are experiencing life to the fullest, combining spirituality with the best of nature to have a super family. We owe it all to our personal family Angel, MY DAD!!
My best Father’s Day memory was my father’s last Father’s Day before he passed away. We all got together to have a bbq & I arranged to take family photos of my immediate family & individual family photos with my father because we knew it would be his last father’s day to celebrate.
It for me, was one of the most wonderful father’s days ever, to have all his family surrounding him on his special day
He was well respected by all of his family & friends and is sorely missed.
You left us too soon Dad & we all miss you very much xo
Love you forever Dad
My Dad… where to begin. My Dad is amazing. Through out my years as a little girl I have so many great memories. He taught my sisters and I how to fish, repair cars, play baseball and road hockey. On Sundays we use to go driving down the gravel roads looking for beer bottles so we could cash them in and buy boxes of popsicles at Beckers. I loved those days. Even though we are all grown up and married my Dad is still there for us when we need help with are cars, when we are sick, or when we need a shoulder to cry on, especially since Mom passed away 4 years ago.
My Dad gave and taught my sisters and I what the greatest gift in life is..
The love and respect of your family.
Winner or lose the contest I have my family’s love and respect which is the greatest gift of all!!
Love you Dad!!
My Son was born 10 weeks premature in a Hospital 3.5 hours away from my home. I spent 7 weeks in a hotel while he spent 7 weeks in the NICU. My Dad who lived over 2 hours away would drive up 2-3 days a week to hold his new grandson and take me out for lunch. I love my Dad very much… he is the best.
My father loves his grand kids. He always has a treat for them when we visit.
My husband is a wonderful father. We have an eight year old with autism and he is the spitting image of his dad! As soon as our son was born, all the doctors and nurses were amazed at how identical he looked to his dad! My husband was beaming with pride! When our son was diagnosed with autism at age 4.5 years old, he was amazing and a huge support … helping me to find all the resources and therapy and sparing no expense to help him with treatment. Now my son is a happy eight year old and able to communicate his needs and becoming more independent and is always happy to see family. When his dad arrives home from work, my son will always great him with a huge smile and hug and I know my husband loves this part very much!
A status I posted not long ago, said something along the lines of …’going to town tomorrown with dad!’ a friend of mine inboxed me and said ‘why are you going to town with your father?’ I didn’t understand the question. I grew up in a family of 4 girls, if our dad is going somewhere, we litterally all fight over who gets to go with him! No, he’s not rich, doens’t buy us stuff when we get to where we’re going. We just love spending time with him! He is a hoot! My last trip with him, he had a doctors appointment and needed a driver, I went and brought along my 3 month old daughter. I needed somethings at a store so I was going to take advantage of the opportunity. I’m not joking, but we spent 20 minutes in the garbage can isle, I couldn’t decide which can would best suit to use as my cloth diaper pail…who would patiently walk back and forth to the price scanner for 20 minutes other then my dad?! This isn’t just a guy who is wonderful to his daughters, but each one of our husbands has also developed the same love we have. My husband gets good news or has something happen that he wants to share, he will call my father before he calls his own father! Without dad, I know I can speak for the whole family and say, our lives would never be the same and our gatherings would be much less fun 🙁
My father has been a tech guy for ages. I recall that we had a TI99 computer in the 80s which ran programs off of cassette tapes. I didn’t quite understand how that was possible, but he spent many an evening explaining it to me until I got it.
Every year we have a fathers day BBQ with a group of family friends that I grew up with and that my parents are best friends with. When my husband became a father this was more of an issue because he would prefer to spend father’s day doing other things ie golfing. Fortunately this year we have come to an arrangement. He and my father will golf together and then we will all go to the BBQ. Everyone is happy.
my mom died when I was 4, so I was raised by my dad, he was in the military but also had a part time job working some evenings and every saturday, sundays were always busy with yardwork, laundry and so on. We never really got to spend alot of time together just the two of us, so it was really special and rare when a couple of times he left work, picked me up at school and brought me home for lunch. We’d have newfie steaks and eggs, watch the flinstones and just get to hang out together and talk. I wish things were that simple now:)
Wow. I have so many wonderful Dad stories, but this one is at the top of my mind because I was just discussing it. When I was in Grade 3, so about 8 years old, our class took a trip to Claremont for an overnight stay. We were not roughing it, we had cabins and had a wonderful first day! And then night descended. I had never been away from my parents before and even though they were reluctant to let me go, they agreed. As the clock ticked closer to 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, the teachers didn’t know what to do with me. I was not crying, but would not go to sleep and refused to be left alone. They called my Dad just after 11pm and he immediately set out across the 401 at break neck speeds to get me! He knew how awful and alone I was feeling and he got to me as fast as he possibly could. I remember the utter relief I felt when I saw him walk through the door. I hugged him so tight! The best feeling in the world was falling asleep in the car and waking up only slightly to my Dad carrying me into the house. I have never felt as happy or as safe as I did that night. Thanks, Dad. I love you.
We used to live in vineyard and orchard area and my fave memories are sunny afternoons walking around the area, enjoying the sunshine and flowers. A treasure!
In 2010, after my husband and celebrated the first birthday of our son, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 23. I have been sick since that day, and recently gave birth to our second son in March of this year. During this entire time, my husband has been the best father anyone could ask for. He is incredibly supportive, and takes care of the kids EVERY SINGLE TIME I’m not feeling well, which unfortunately, is quite often. I have started treatments at the hospital for my MS, as well as have recently started injection treatments at home. Injection treatments that I’m supposed to administer to myself. These treatments are all very expensive, and my husband works VERY hard to provide for his family. It’s very hard, and it’s so hard to be a ‘sick mom.’ I’m so thankful for my husband – I wouldn’t have been able to ask for a better one. He is the best father – always ready to take on any challenges that come our way, and always always willing to help. He’s the rock of our family and he greatly deserves this gift!
My Dad never knew how to say he loved me. If I had a car accident, then he would buy me a new outfit. If I didn’t pass a test, I would get a dog or another animal. He never scolded me for anything and never spanked me when I was a child. My Mother was a totally different story. Dad was excellent at making latkas for Chanukah. He would get up early in the morning and start from scratch. We would all eat the latkas and you could see the pleasure on his face when we complimented him on them. His hands would always be cut up from shredding the potatoes and this made the latkas taste even better. Every Sunday morning when I was young, he would rush off to the bagel store to bring home bagels, lox and cream cheese for us all. He was always there for me when I needed him and I thank God for having such a wonderful Father, even if he doesn’t know how to say “I love you”. He shows his love in so many different ways.
My story is about my fiancé.
We had our son 2 months ago, so this Is his first fathers day!
When I gave birth to my son, he was right there the entire time. He held my hand through the contractions, helped the nurses and doctors by holding my leg, and cut the umbilical cord. The first person my son saw when he opened his eyes for the first time was his loving daddy.
From there it only got better. He’d spend every waking moment holding our son, feeds him whenever he gets the chance to (he works 50 hours week) and loves to make our son smile every chance he gets. He’s an amazing father to our son, and I’m so happy to have both of them in my life.
I especially love when I come home after doing some errands and find the two of them cuddling together for a nap, and they both have little smiles on their faces. It’s adorable and heart warming, and gets me every time.
I couldn’t ask for a better father for my son. 🙂
When I was born my Dad was 40 years of age. Having an older dad meant having a mentor who had been through lots of tough times in life and tried to instill a sense in self in me. Although he worked long hours and wasn’t around for my baseball, volleyball, broom ball games growing up, he always tried to make it to my horse shows on the weekends. He also took us kids camping lots, fishing and campfires being the highlights of these adventures.
I always tried to prepare myself with the fact that my dad wouldn’t be around for much of my adult life as he was older when I was born. Thankfully, despite all the fun times he experiened as an adult, these decisions didn’t affect his longevity and I am happy to say that he is still with me today, at the age of 90.
Although we didn’t always see eye to eye and every child will tell you that he/she wishes their parents would have done some things differently, I am content to say that both my parents did the best with what they had. After having two of my own kids and surviving the teenage years I am mature enough to realize the struggles I downloaded onto my parents and my dad took it all in stride.
He continues to be an inspiration to me and my children and I am thankful for every day we have.
I’m writing this story on behalf of our 4 yr old daughter. Her dad has always been a ‘tough’ guy, that is, until he had a little girl! She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger 🙂 , and he would do (and does do) anything for her! This past Christmas, at her ballet class, tough guy Daddy got up in front of everyone there for the Christmas ‘recital’, with his tattoos & lumber jacket, and danced ballet with his little princess! She’s such a lucky little girl, and her mommy’s so lucky too, to have him in our family!
This is going to be a very bittersweet Father’s Day for me. I’ll start with the sweet.
This year will be my amazing husband’s (also named Jason!) first Father’s Day and he is such an incredible person, all around. He is kind and patient, warm and sincere, has an incredible amount of integrity and is so loving. Our son, Oliver, is the light of his life and he is such a wonderful Dad. He is one of those Dads that takes parenting and baby care as a shared responsibility – I never say he’s “babysitting” when he is caring for Oliver, he’s parenting. He does everything he can to make my life easier and he even gets up in the night with our challenging sleeper, despite having to go to work the next day. Being on mat leave means that our budget is very limited, but he so deserves something really nice for Father’s Day this year.
Here’s the bitter part. On April 16th, 2012, just a month and a half ago, and 3 days before my birthday, I lost my own Dad to heart disease. This will be my first Father’s Day without a Dad and I think it will be a very difficult day for me and my sister. I’m still grieving and in disbelief that he’s gone. It’s a very surreal experience. My Dad loved to love. That’s what he was best at. He loved unconditionally, put my sister and I on pedestals and we could really do no wrong in his eyes. He loved his grandkids so much too and although I’m grateful he got to know Oliver for the first 8 months of his life, it saddens me that he will not see him grow up. I miss my Dad every day.
One of my fondest father’s day memories is one of the few I spent with my father in recent history.
My family and I grew up in a small town in Newfoundland. It was a beautiful kind of town, with whales splashing the water near our home and rugged hills to climb all around us. My father would take us climbing, all bundled in snowsuits, to the very top of these hills and take our picture. The picture is etched in my mind, smiling little girls with toothless grins and windswept hair. I am the oldest of four girls, all very close in age, and I still don’t understand how my father managed to coax us up to the top, scratches and all.
Not long after that my father decided to take a job in Alberta. He did this to support his family. He didn’t realize it would make him miss out on so much. Dad returned home only twice a year. I do not remember spending a father’s day with him from the time I was 11 until the time I was finishing university.
After convocation, my husband and I followed in dad’s footsteps to Alberta for work. Unfortnately, it was the year before that my father moved back home for good. Great, another father’s day missed. About two years after I moved to Alberta, I got a call I did not want to receive. Dad had cancer in his left tonsil.
That Christmas I returned home for a visit and it was a very different holiday. Dad was recovering well, but the threat of mortality smacked us all square in the face. Luckily for us, Dad continued to do well after treatment.
My Dad is a very strong person, but has faced a lot of hardships. He missed the sweet 16 birthday for all four of his daughters. He does not get to see his grandkids grow up (I have two little boys). So the father’s day after his recovery from cancer we wanted to really show him how much we appreciated all the sacrifices he has made for his family.
My father has always loved motorcycles. Before he left for Alberta he had sold his motorcycle so that his kids did not have to go without things like food and clothing. We remembered this vividly. My sister suggested that the four of us pool together and buy him a motorcycle for father’s day. We did. The day the keys were dropped into his hands, the range of emotions that went over his face were indescribable. Let’s just say that after that day, my father knew exactly how we felt about him and how we felt about the sacrifices he had made for us.
Thank you Dad. I love you.
My dad was a teacher so we always had the summers to spend together. Some of our summer family time was spent camping in a small pop-up trailer. I remember going on a trip in Manitoba to the northern community of The Pas. After setting up our trailer and our friends setting up theirs we all decided to squeeze into one vehicle for a drive around to see the area. Nearby there was a pulp and paper mill. Everyone got out of the vehicle to have a look around. Beside the mill were two huge sawdust mountains. Nothing was locked up by large fences back then. They were huge to a kid but I do believe that they also would have been huge to an adult. While the adults talked the kids proceeded to get closer and closer. My mom tried calling us back by my dad called out “Go ahead, have fun!”. We all took off at a run and started to climb the “mountain”. We made it to the top and then came bouncing down in a shower of sawdust and wood chips. After a few more times we were exhausted but we’d had the most fun ever. My mom was angry at my dad because she felt that it was dangerous and now we were all dirty(not to mention incredibly itchy!). There was sawdust everywhere, outside our clothes, inside our clothes, in our hair, in our ears. My dad took it in stride by taking us down to the lake after for a very cold swim to try to clean out the rest of it. He then proceeded to try to comb my very long blonde tangled hair to get out any remaining debris. We slept well that night but I remember as I fell asleep I was thinking about how lucky I was to have such a fun dad.
I will always be thankful that my dad took (OK, sometimes dragged) me to used book stores and thrift shops at every opportunity. It has given me a life-long love of the smell of old books and many exhilarating moments when making an unexpected find.
After I left my sons father 2 weeks before my son was born due to an abusive relationship, I had no where to go and with a baby coming very soon I was worried. I won’t ever regret leaving my situation as it is best for my wonderful little boy, but my father has given me and my son a place to stay while I get back on my feet. I am eternally grateful for that and always will be. He loves seeing his grandson everyday!:)
Although my mom and dad were separated, I clearly remember when they were together and I was around 4 years old. Saturdays were my day to spend time with him. It started with Breakfast, usually pancakes with bacon and lots of maple syrup. He would let our budgie out of the cage and the silly bird would walk around the frying pan then once breakfast was ready it would walk around your plate and peck at your pancakes. We would then head out to High Park and spend time going through the zoo there or just playing on the swings and slides or rocking horses they had. We would usually get a chocolate popsicle for me and a cherry one for him. Later we would travel down to the stores along Queen Street W or maybe go to Honest Eds and he would pick me up something small. We would head home and he would start making dinner and then we would play with the model trains he bought me or the meccano set. (I think he really wanted a boy). After a fun filled day, he would tuck me in after my bath and read me a story. We moved from Toronto when I was 5 and I never did get to see him again. Don’t know why, but I really missed those days. I was 13 when my uncle came to my house to let me know that my dad had passed away.
The one thing I remember about my Dad, was his odd tastes in foods. He was always trying to get me to try the things he liked. I vividly recall open cans of sardines, frogs legs and other such “delicacies”. Another favorite that he tried to engrain into my meal choices was PeanutButter AND Balogna sandwiches ( yes , together).
I never developed a taste for the things my father wanted to share with me, but it did open my eyes and mind to trying new things.
My Dad was the one out at 1 ,am floodimg the rink so we could all learn to skate
When I was 12, we rented a motor home and did the drive to Disney. We “camped” in parking lots with periodic visits to campgrounds to use their showers etc. The most vivid memory I have of Disney is going on the Peter Pan ride. I didn’t know the ride lifted you off the ground and I was a tad freaked. He was in a different car and he called out “mommy I’m scared” a couple times. It was definitely a grown up male voice and it was fully intended to make me laugh so I freaked a little less.
My biological father is no longer in my life (thankfully). But I was blessed with having one of the best friends ever, who has shared her parents with me. I call them mom and dad; and to them, I am the other daughter. My (unofficially)adopted parents act as stand-in grandparents to my niece and nephew, just as I am Auntie to their only granddaughter.
I can always rely on Dad to help me out with stuff around the house and just general good advice.
Fate may not have blessed me with a great dad naturally, but it sure blessed me by having my adopted dad come into my life! I just love him to bits!
My Dad was great! He always made time to play with us kids and there was five of us plus our friends from school and the neighbourhood. I remember our summer vacations at home but we always went to the zoo, parks and the lake for the day. My Dad worked hard and always made time for the family and friends. Things like golf, going to a football game, etc. just was out of our pocket range but a wild game of badminton or checkers was just as great!
My Dad was always very active. Our place was never dull.
can’t think of any really,my parents divorced when i was5 so i only saw him every other sunday.sorry not happy.
My fondest memory of my dad was camping with him and riding beside him and my mom in his truck on the way up to our camp spot. Dad drove a truck with a stick shift and he taught me when to change gears for him. I thought this task was so important that I wanted to do it perfectly. My camping experience doesn’t end there, there were many endless days of fishing with him and learning how to “gut” a fish. I was such a tomboy even though I was the last born. He was hoping for a boy and ended with me. He did everything with me and took me everywhere with him. I would go to his jobsite – he was in construction. I would sit in the dirt with a piece of board and a hammer and nails and “work” while he was working. I would sweep the sawdust out of his shop while he would work. Him and I would go to my grandma’s together on Saturday mornings for coffee and I would have breakfast there.
My good memories of him are many and sometimes I am sad that he is no longer here to see what I have become and I do miss the relationship him and I had when I was a kid!
I am the ultimate daddy’s little girl. Anything I want or need, my dad will find a way to help me out. I had a baby in February 2011 and since then, my dad and I have even grown closer. My son shares his middle name with my dad, they are linked forever. My dad lives 4 hours away but he will gladly pick up the phone to check in on me and my family to see how we are doing.
He lost his job a few years ago which was quite the blow. He has since became acquainted with technology! This playbook would be the ultimate gift. He loves to check emails and see pictures of the grandboy, play games and stay in touch with loved ones. He does deserve this gift.
My dad is awesome!!
“I talked to a stranger once for an hour over coffee. We’re not strangers any longer.” message on a Starbucks Coffee Cup. Dec 8, 2010
My kudos is for my hubby-to-be. What started as a coffee date, turned out to be a start of a great adventure. The sand was still on his combats, when he started to rebuild his life and adjusted to being back home from serving 9 months in Afghanistan. His little girl needed a mom and my 3 little ones needed a dad role-model. There are many men that have the courage to be a father to a child that is not his own, and I am proud to have one as a life partner.
Some great strengths he possess:
His mod boxes remain untouched as he rather spend time with his children. Life is too short not to play.
The laundry is folded with love as he sets out the children’s clothes, ready for the next day because he is up too early to see them off to school.
His medals hang on his daughters wall.
His children are like dandelions. Bloom anywhere the wind takes them because he has prepared them to be the best they can in any environment.
Firm and fair. Finding love and creating a bond with my children who had trust issues.
My biggest admiration of my special (dad) man in my life is his leadership in helping those who have been effected by Operational Stress (PTSD)
Every summer my father would take us on a trip. Now there were six kids so the trips were budget conscious and rather crowded. I still have vivid flashbacks of the smell of the old , green canvas tent with eight of us vying for space, nights of droning mosquitoes or watching the drips of water run down from the spots where the metal rods shaped the tent. Oh yes, and the fear of those stupid metal rods falling on you or the wind knocking the whole thing down; there’s another memory. Anyway, one dark night we woke up to the sound of a prowler outside of our tent and I remember Dad with a flashlight and fry pan rushing out and checking the tent area to protect his family. I know we all felt quite safe but I expect Dad was shaking in his boots because the next year he invested in a travel trailer.
My dad was amechanic so all my old wrecks ended up in his garage for repairs
My biological dad was not and still isn’t a part of my nor my other 2 siblings lives.
When I was 4, my mom remarried and I got a step dad! He took us to the park, camping, played with us and even though my mom and him got a divorce a few years back he is still the man I call dad and an amazing grandfather to my children!
These are all such fantastic stories.
Thanks for sharing!
J.
My dad always did the coolest things for holiday like when we were small he would go on the roof of our house to shine a red light into my window to make it look like Rudolphs nose. One easter it had snowed out and on the sidewalk and street he put big bunny footprints. Those are just a couple of my favourite things and now as a parent i try to do the same things for my little ones thank you dad.
My Dad was never the huggie-kissie type being raised by a military Dad. That changed when I moved out. One day I left to go to my home without kissing him good-bye, as I was getting onto the highway, my cell rang…it was him…asking me why I had left without kissing him good-bye….
Now that I have my little Missy, he has gotten even “mushier”…I always thought it was my Mom that bought me a Mother’s day card…I found out this year that in fact it has always been him *tears in my eyes* and they are always the lovliest mushiest cards…I love him SO much!
Our Father was driving his family to church on a Sunday. Five children, one wife!
We were late since the three girls all needed the extra time to get ready. Therefore, Dad was speeding. He was stopped by a policeman who said, “What’s the rush?” He replied that we were late for church. The policeman looked in the car, said “guess you will be later now” and proceeded to write the ticket!
My father has passed, but he was always there for me as a child. He would come and get me any time of the day or night when I needed him.
When I joined the military many years ago, I went into the electronics field and the initial coarse was 9 months long, when I came home for a visit my Dad told me that he had taken night classes in electronics so that he could talk to me about it or answer questions if I needed help to pass the exams. Sadly he passed away in 1996 but I am grateful for everything he did for me and how happy he made me in always being my champion
My dad is always keeping busy in the background and never one to sit still (I’m just like him). My most memorable moment to this day was when I was getting married. My dad LOVES events so much (wonder where I get that from?) he literally got completely involved in the planning process. At one point he told me it was “his wedding too!” At first I was surprised but I knew my dad and saw his excitement and the enjoyment he got out of being REALLY involved. Loved it!
I remember a very special summer when I was 12 and my dad took me to the seaside village he’d been born in in Scotland. He showed me all of the places he’d played and the things he’d done and I could just picture him being a kid like me.
My dad did so many fun things with us when we were kids. He loved to read and introduced each of us to the local library as soon as we were able to sign a library card. He took us to our swimming lessons and let us buy chicken soup out of the vending machine after our lesson was over (something that mom wouldn’t let us do). On Saturday night at 10pm he would announce it was time for a snack. Sometimes the snack would be hot dogs, sometimes popcorn, sometimes leftovers from dinner. When he was sitting on the sofa he’d let us stand behind him and comb his hair, fixing it up with barrettes, bobby pins and ribbons. He was a lot of fun and I miss him very much.
My father story is going to be about my husband (sorry Dad!). When our daughter was born, we were both newbies at it despite being older parents. He was working full time as I was on maternity leave. After our first week home with her, he saw my exhaustion being up every 2-3 hours in the night with her on top of being with her all day. So he announced that from the moment on, he would be taking the night shifts with her and that I was going to be able to get some sleep. He wouldn’t take no for an answer – he said he enjoyed the time with her, bonding with her. So not only was he working 40+ hours a week, he was also waking up to feed our daughter. And he did it all over again with our son. And I also have one more thing to add about his character … recently our city declared a state of emergency due to flooding. We did have water in our basement but thankfully no where near the amount that other people did. I mopped every hour on the hour in the evening until 2am to keep the water at bay and then he carried on until he had to go to work at 7am. I kept up with it after dropping the kids off at school until I had to go to work at 10am, worrying about how much water would come into the house until I got back after 2pm. What I didn’t know was that Anthony told his employer that he was taking the day off to go back and tend to the house!! He even went and got us a wet-vac to aid in the cleanup! So, that’s my story about the father of my children. I think he deserves a Playbook, especially if you can play games on it, lol … Thank you for allowing me to share this with everyone!
Recently my husbands barbecue broke – this was devastating to him! The kids seemed affected by it too because one day it was just gone, and they are so used to seeing him cooking by the grill. Even though they are only 3 and 1 years old they would stand by the window watching him barbecue all the time! So we are now waiting for another to get shipped here, but in the meantime daddy went to the store and bought the kids a toy barbecue to play with. Every day we still barbecue – but the food is wooden and painted. Still just as much fun! 🙂
My best Father’s Day was going golfing with my dad for the first time. It had always been a passion of his so it was wonderful to be able to share it with him. I magically made a 40 foot putt as well which I’ll never forget!
My dad is the leftiest dude he could be without geting arrested. So I have piles of stories of his generous spirit and also crippling guilt-making discipline. He was the scariest dad in my hood when I was growing up.
My most life changing are one of each. I’ll save the discipline one for another time.
One Christmas holiday period, I would guess I was about 7.
My dad (somehow we were alone oddly, given I was number 2 of 4) and I were at the local mall on Jane & Wilson (yup, next to the historic Chalkfarm area).
He had taken out money fromt the bank and as we were walking out, a woman stood there sobbing hysterically with a torn purse.
She had just been robbed of all her cash for buying food for Christmas for her two kids.
Without skipping a beat, my dad told her to calm down and as she was wiping her face, opened his wallet and handed her a wad of cash.
I have no idea how much it was but the woman was so shocked she kept pushing it away saying she couldn’t. My dad kept insisting.
Then we turned and walked away without looking back.
I knew we were a modest family but at the time I didn’t realize how modest. It wasn’t until I was closer to 13 did I realize that it wasn’t “extra” money he gave her.
Every time I get too attached to something material, I think of that moment and it resets me a little.
To tell my story somewhat backwards…
I was 25 when I found out that my dad doesn’t like camping. You may think, eh, so what? But every summer growing up we went camping. My brothers were in scouts and I think my dad went to every camp they had. He went to all of my camps as well. For someone who doesn’t like to camp, he has hiked up several mountains, canoed and portaged through a few national parks, cooked over campfires and slept in a tent through torrential rain. He even did these things long after we grew up so that other scouts could have those experiences. He is amazing to me because he did what he had to do regardless of his own personal comfort.
my stories with my dad seem like the sappy tim horton’s commercials! and, actually, this one happens in one 🙂 he’s never been the kind to ever say i love you but you know darn well he does. whether it’s the way he gives a curt head nod to something fantastic you’ve done or a blow my mind whole sentence when he told me i was doing a good job with the girls i’ve always known he would put himself in the line of fire for his family.
i was in my early 20’s and took my old volvo in for servicing halfway between where they live and where i live as it was the only mechanic i trusted with my car. i guess i mentioned it on the phone once or something because i was in to the 2nd page of my book at…the tim horton’s nearby…and noticed someone approaching me. i refocused on the intruder only to find my dad standing in front of me and asked if the seat was taken! he muttered something about being in the neighbourhood (30 minutes from home) and we sat and had a coffee and donut and talked about our important stuff. just him and me and our thoughts. it was pretty cool.
now, when do i tell you about the time he almost took a baseball bat to my elementary school? 🙂