6 Things My Dad Taught Me
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In honor of Father’s Day, I want to share with you SIX THINGS MY DAD TAUGHT ME as his eldest daughter after having three boys. My Dad respected me as a girl, but he didn’t keep that from letting me do things that my brothers did. I was the rough and tumble little girl tagging along with my brothers. I was the one who was told to not tell Momma about the makings of the homemade wild cherry wine going on in the basement. No, I didn’t try it and I don’t believe my brothers did either at least I hope they didn’t since the cherries are poisonous. I even had to keep quiet about the secret campfires and popcorn being popped in an old soup can over those fires in the back corner of the backyard.
My Dad taught me how to FISH. I remember (barely) the day when we picked up our brand new boat that my Dad worked so hard to buy. He even put my name on the back of it; I loved seeing my name in those sparkly letters. I loved climbing into the boat whether it was at the lake or in the backyard while pretending to be fishing. I was taught how to put a sinker and hook on my line along with worms and crickets. I was taught how to tie a lure on and the first time I did it was the day I hooked my biggest bass ever. I’ll never forget thinking I got tangled up in some brush and he came and shined a light down in the water to see if he could save the lure. I’ll never forget the jumping up and down in the boat when I saw that fish and I’ll never forget how I cried because there was nothing he could do to save the lure and pull the fish into the boat.
My Dad shared his love for WRESTLING with me. Every Saturday night, we watched Georgia Championship Wrestling and the NWA on channel 17. For many years, it was taco and pizza night at our house every Saturday; fun foods and wrestling went together for all of us. As the years went on and wrestling was on more hours in the evening, we spent the whole time glued to the TV. Once the GCW and the NWA changed, the realness of wrestling ended and so did our love for it. :)
My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun. I always looked forward to going to my great aunt’s house because I knew the guns would be taken and I would be allowed to shoot them. The first time I shot his 44 magnum ‘hog leg’ he stood behind me to keep me standing while I shot it. I’m glad he thought about standing there because sure shooting, I would have hit the ground.
My Dad taught me how to walk on the roof of a house and lay bricks. I was probably about 4th grade age when our house needed a new roof, because all my brothers were still at home. While they removed the shingles, I took them water. I thought I was hot stuff climbing up there laying shingles while my Dad hammered them down until I was told to go inside so he could work a little faster.
Not long after the new roof, my Dad enclosed our carport and turned it into a family room. Every day after spending all day working, my Dad came home and worked on that room for several months. He taught me about making sure the first brick and row was perfectly even so the rest of the wall and fireplace would be even. He showed me how to lay bricks once he was well on his way to having a perfectly squared wall. He even showed me how to mix the mortar for those bricks.
My Dad taught me about HARD WORK and to have a strong WORK ETHIC. While growing up the only time I remember my dad not going to work was because he had been laid off. There was never a day he called in sick to do something else. If it was a work day, he was there. He was at work when he didn’t feel well; he was at work when there were other things that needed to be done. It was not until after I graduated from high school when I remember my dad being so sick with the flu he was not able to go to work. If my Dad was not at death’s door, he was at work.
My Dad started his own business cutting trees when I was little. This was a part-time business he and my brothers did on the weekends to help provide for our family. No, we really didn’t have the money to attend the Christian school, but my Dad felt the need for us to be there and he did whatever it took to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, pay the tuition, and kept a roof over our heads. My Dad was and is not afraid of hard work.
My siblings and I were taught if you want something, you have to work for it; we were not entitled to handouts. I’ll never forget my first real paycheck from my first job. The only thing I remember buying with that check was my first pair of REAL LEATHER shoes, from Famous Footware, I was so proud of them.
My Dad taught me to be independent if I ever needed to be. I was taught how to read a map, how to read the mileage number signs on the highway, how to check the oil, use jumper cables and even fix a flat tire. Thankfully, I have not had to do the last two.
While my Dad has never made the national headlines, he was famous for a moment when his name was written in on a ballot during one of the local elections and it made the local newspaper. My husband is the one who wrote his name in and we still laugh about it when the subject is brought up. We all would have been extremely surprised if he had won the mayoral race.
6 Things My Dad Taught Me
My Dad taught me how to FISH. I remember (barely) the day when we picked up our brand new boat that my Dad worked so hard to buy. He even put my name on the back of it; I loved seeing my name in those sparkly letters. I loved climbing into the boat whether it was at the lake or in the backyard while pretending to be fishing. I was taught how to put a sinker and hook on my line along with worms and crickets. I was taught how to tie a lure on and the first time I did it was the day I hooked my biggest bass ever. I’ll never forget thinking I got tangled up in some brush and he came and shined a light down in the water to see if he could save the lure. I’ll never forget the jumping up and down in the boat when I saw that fish and I’ll never forget how I cried because there was nothing he could do to save the lure and pull the fish into the boat.
My Dad shared his love for WRESTLING with me. Every Saturday night, we watched Georgia Championship Wrestling and the NWA on channel 17. For many years, it was taco and pizza night at our house every Saturday; fun foods and wrestling went together for all of us. As the years went on and wrestling was on more hours in the evening, we spent the whole time glued to the TV. Once the GCW and the NWA changed, the realness of wrestling ended and so did our love for it. :)
My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun. I always looked forward to going to my great aunt’s house because I knew the guns would be taken and I would be allowed to shoot them. The first time I shot his 44 magnum ‘hog leg’ he stood behind me to keep me standing while I shot it. I’m glad he thought about standing there because sure shooting, I would have hit the ground.
My Dad taught me how to walk on the roof of a house and lay bricks. I was probably about 4th grade age when our house needed a new roof, because all my brothers were still at home. While they removed the shingles, I took them water. I thought I was hot stuff climbing up there laying shingles while my Dad hammered them down until I was told to go inside so he could work a little faster.
Not long after the new roof, my Dad enclosed our carport and turned it into a family room. Every day after spending all day working, my Dad came home and worked on that room for several months. He taught me about making sure the first brick and row was perfectly even so the rest of the wall and fireplace would be even. He showed me how to lay bricks once he was well on his way to having a perfectly squared wall. He even showed me how to mix the mortar for those bricks.
My Dad taught me about HARD WORK and to have a strong WORK ETHIC. While growing up the only time I remember my dad not going to work was because he had been laid off. There was never a day he called in sick to do something else. If it was a work day, he was there. He was at work when he didn’t feel well; he was at work when there were other things that needed to be done. It was not until after I graduated from high school when I remember my dad being so sick with the flu he was not able to go to work. If my Dad was not at death’s door, he was at work.
My Dad started his own business cutting trees when I was little. This was a part-time business he and my brothers did on the weekends to help provide for our family. No, we really didn’t have the money to attend the Christian school, but my Dad felt the need for us to be there and he did whatever it took to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, pay the tuition, and kept a roof over our heads. My Dad was and is not afraid of hard work.
My siblings and I were taught if you want something, you have to work for it; we were not entitled to handouts. I’ll never forget my first real paycheck from my first job. The only thing I remember buying with that check was my first pair of REAL LEATHER shoes, from Famous Footware, I was so proud of them.
My Dad taught me to be independent if I ever needed to be. I was taught how to read a map, how to read the mileage number signs on the highway, how to check the oil, use jumper cables and even fix a flat tire. Thankfully, I have not had to do the last two.
While my Dad has never made the national headlines, he was famous for a moment when his name was written in on a ballot during one of the local elections and it made the local newspaper. My husband is the one who wrote his name in and we still laugh about it when the subject is brought up. We all would have been extremely surprised if he had won the mayoral race.
I’ve learned so much from the World’s Best Dad over the years.
Happy Father’s Day, Daddy, I love you!
