My dad's birthday was the 14th. He passed away a few years ago. I like to celebrate his birthday by sharing some of the things he taught me--some practical and some...weird (and some you've heard before)!
He taught me:
- to work hard and pay attention
- how to tighten a loose wood screw by placing a small, rolled up wad of paper in the hole
- to walk silently (especially important when he was sleeping--this came in really handy when I was a teenager)
- to swim silently (in case I ever needed to take out an enemy machine gun nest by swimming across a river and circling behind it—and also so he wouldn't get splashed)
- not to grab a spark plug wires (there's a story behind this one)
- how to make all sorts of home repairs (and dig ditches, cut down trees, etc., etc.)
- that rabbits run in half-circles when making their escape (he was a hunter)
- how to protect myself from a large, attacking dog (it involved getting the dog to "go for my throat", so I never tried it)
- to always ask for documentation whenever someone (him) tells me I owe them money
He gave me so many lectures--usually on the way home from church, but he could launch into one at any time. I listened (yes, he really did teach me to pay attention), but I didn't always learn. I did learn a lot from the lectures and from watching my older siblings make their mistakes. But, like my dad, some mistakes I had to make on my own to really learn the lesson.
Wisdom comes to each of us (or not) when we're ready. That's going to be my excuse if it turns out I'm not doing enough to teach my kids what they need to know. :)
All great (and random) advice! The one about bunnies running in half circles is quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty random collection...just whatever popped into my head at the time. If he's watching, I'm sure he would have a better list that he wished I'd shared instead. :)
DeleteSeems like your dad taught you a lot of survival tricks - I'm sure he hoped that none of them would ever need to be put to use :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention the SWAT maneuvers!!! Blergh! I'm not saying I would ever use any of that type of advice, but using some may (or not) have helped me to avoid having to use other tidbits. :)
Deletei'm sorry for your loss :( my dad's bday is the day before yours and he too, passed away. i miss him so much and like your dad, he taught valuable lessons too.
ReplyDeletexoxoxxo
-kathy
Vodka and Soda
He definitely taught me a lot--some on purpose and some not. I knew our dads' b-days were close, but didn't realize how close. They'll always be a part of our holidays.
DeleteI was taught "how to tighten a loose wood screw by placing a small, rolled up wad of paper in the hole" too but I don't exactly remember by whom. It might have been my dad but I could be wrong. But he did make me paint the whole house, wash all the cars, fix the door knobs and all. And I'm a girl. But that's not the point :p
ReplyDeleteEveryone should know how to do those things, so yay dad!!! I'm sorry you had to so those chores--even if they were good for you. :D (dads have to stick together on this sort of thing...lol)
DeleteSome great lessons! He definitely raised a great person =). I can't wait to hear about the spark plug story!
ReplyDeleteThank you...it means a lot when someone awesome thinks well of me (it's even better when they think too highly of me)! :)
DeleteYour list is interesting. I didn't know that about rabbits. And I'll be waiting to hear the spark plug story! :-)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family, Rick. I hope you have a wonderful time together, and I also hope your appliances stay healthy. Ha!
Reactions to the spark plug story usually surprise me, so I'm sort of looking forward to sharing that one. :)
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family as well. No offense to anyone else, but little Lucy is going to make this going to be a very special Christmas gathering.
What a lovely list and a wonderful way to remember your dad. It's a great legacy he left you, really full of good concrete information and a lot of love too. It's how he showed it I guess. If someone could come teach my teen to walk more quietly (clomp, clomp, clomp), I'd be thrilled!
ReplyDeletelol, sounds like someone is walking heels down instead of on the balls of the feet. My niece (who was only 10 at the time and was tiny) could make more noise walking through the house than anyone I knew. It was a talent...of sorts. :) I think my dad viewed childhood as a bootcamp to prepare for adulthood, so he took the molding, shaping, knowledge transfer part of parenting very seriously.
Delete