What’s something your Da/Dad/Father thought you growing up that you now think/realise is priceless and will be forever grateful for?

31 comments

  1. For me it’s training dogs.

    We always had a dog growing up and my Da always included us when training them. He thought us about house training, training around food like to mess with their bowl and pat so they hopefully don’t end up aggressive with food or toys.

    Thought us to give them food/treats by hand, so to make them be gentle in case a kid ever was feeding them. Thought us to train the dog to let us look in their mouth for the day they may need medication or you need to take a stick or battery or snake out of their mouth (we moved to Australia in 2004 and I did have to do that once.

    I now have 3 dogs of my own, the guy pictured has hip dysplasia and needs daily anti-inflammatories and some other stuff, but he’s an absolute trooper and sits down for it.

    I’m so grateful my Da took the time to do this with me.

  5. “The most important thing you need to do as a parent is be there. For the birth. The firsts. The birthdays. The wash nights. The homework. The discipline. The fuckups. The wins. The losses. The heartbreaks….. No amount of money or gifts makes up for the time you weren’t there.”

    “I’d talked to ye before ye thought ye knew it all and stopped listening.”

    “You can try it, but ya won’t like it.” – to me when I was a teenager about smoking. He was right.

    “If you need alcohol to have a good time with people, find better people.”

  7. My love for books. When I was little he used to bring me books from the library every week and when I got older he took me to the library to choose them myself. When he asked me if I wanted to get my own library card I was so excited and proud. I still have this card till this day. He was also the one who introduced me to the Harry Potter books. I don’t think he knows how much all that means to me.

  12. Being there for me and teaching me how to respect. Not just others but myself too.

    No matter how busy my dad was with work he would always make it to my birthdays as a child. Either took the day off work or swapped shifts.

    There’s lots of fond memories of when I was a young child and took and interest in whatever my dad was doing he would take the time to show me how it was done and if it was safe enough, I could help. A favourite picture of mine is when we were both in the shed at his workbench and I’m standing on a box beside him in a dress with wellies on and holding a tiny hammer looking so happy to be involved.

    He’s always calm too and I know I’m very lucky to have a great dad like him.

  13. “If you are going to do a job, do it right or don’t do it at all”

    I used to hate when my dad would say that but now thoroughly agree. I hate when people do have arsed jobs.

  14. “Never do today what you can leave until tomorrow” in a sarcastic, kind of telling off moment when i would procrastinate. When you have free time use it, dont leave tasks til the last minute.
    He was right.
    Man loved a bit of sarcasm and dry humour, I miss him a lot.

  15. How to not be like him. He was a good father but a terrible role model. I figured out in my teenage years that if I just did the opposite of what he did I would be fine.

  16. Being handy and fixing things yourself, he is an electrician plus whatever else he needed to be to get the job done. Moved the immersion tank a few times, built 2 extensions on the house, rewired the house. I followed him around during any weekend work since I was about 8.

    Now I’m 30 and noticing it in my friends who can’t figure out how to put up shelves or blinds so they call me. The only downside is I now feel a house isn’t a house without a garage the size of a studio apartment and I’m not gonna be able to afford that anywhere near Dublin

  18. I never knew my father, through no fault of his own. He passed away young leaving my mum with me and my siblings. It was a tough upbringing, money was always tight, hand-me-downs were the order of the day, if we wanted something we had to work for it. It was hard watching other kids with their dad’s too, like you don’t miss what you never had, but at the same time you know your missing out on something.

    I suppose what I learned was independence. I’ve never relied on anyone, worked for everything I had and looked after the people closest to me.

  19. I learned that sometimes dads go to get crisps and never come back. It’s been 27 years, should be back any day now I’d say.

  22. How to avoid a man who sits on his hole doing nothing and takes his temper out on those around him. Not intentionally but that’s what he taught me.

  23. A/ My father always told me to Love what I am doing and Love who I am doing it with. Great advice that I have taken fully to heart.

    B/ What the fuck is the relevance of the picture??? So confused

  24. You need to adjust your driving style when you have a passenger so that they feel safe and relaxed. Good advice for 17 year old Colin McRae me and I actually got complimented on my driving by a few girlfriends.

  25. He taught me the importance of being honest.
    In his words:

    “I’m on your side no matter what you do, so how can I fight your corner if I don’t know the truth?”

    Also doing a job properly. If I’m fixing something or painting something I’ll always ask myself if I’d be happy to pay someone for the same result.

    I love him very much

  26. “Find a career that funds your hobby until you figure out how to make your hobby your career”.

    Not sure if many would agree but that piece of advice stuck with me.

  27. A bad person is a bad person, black or white it makes no difference, conversely the opposite is true. He’s gone now but I still hear that in my head and tell my kids this

  30. That its a bad idea to drink all your money and leave your kids hungry, cold and in the dark. I make sure to have my bills paid now before I spend on extras. I’m a careful saver (most of the time) and I always have an emergency fund, even if its small and I’m broke, its there if I need it.

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