Sunday, June 17, 2012

Advice from Dad

The Portland paper is running a Father's Day feature this weekend, "Advice from the World's Best Dads." A couple of weeks ago, they asked readers to e-mail the best advice their dad had given them.

And they printed my dad's advice, which only goes to show that I have been right and he really is one of the world's best dads.

It had to be 50 words or less:

"People who give will always have more than enough. And people who are grasping will never be satisfied, or feel that what they have is adequate."


So true. I have always given whatever I can, even when I didn't have much, and I have always had more than enough. Same with my dad. (He was thrilled, by the way, and said this story was the best Father's Day gift!)

Some of the advice printed was cliche, and some of it was profound, and some of it was hilarious!

Among my favorites:


"Don't flip the pancakes until ALL the bubbles have popped."

"Drive like everyone else is an idiot."

"Always have some pajamas hanging on the bedpost in case there should be a fire."

"It's better to be sorry you tried something that didn't work out than to regret that you were too timid even to try." 

"As long as you're being a good person, you don't owe anyone any explanations for who you are or what you do."

"Before you marry her, check her teeth." 

"Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes."

"There will always be someone smarter, faster, quicker than you, get to know those people and learn from them. Don't compete with them, ONLY compete with yourself."

 "If at the altar in your wedding dress, if you've ANY doubts at all, WALK away." "...You may repay us all the deposits, LOL, but walk away."

What is the best advice your dad ever gave you? If you grew up without a dad, did you get great advice from a father figure?

19 comments:

SM said...

nice advice

Granny Annie said...

"You'll never have all the answers in this lifetime but the important thing is to always be searching." And my father did, spending time jumping on every question that would come his way and researching the heck out of it until his stroke that took his life in his early nineties.

Claire said...

Cool advice from a cool guy! My dad is less about the advice (he's a mega-introvert), but he did teach me about the importance of laughter. My dad laughs with his whole soul. It's a trait I've inherited gladly!

Lynn said...

I like that one about the keeping the pajamas handy. :)

That's a lovely tribute to your dad. And my dad taught me to have a great sense of humor about everything and to listen to awesome music.

Marnie said...

Your Dads advice is true and smart. That's how I live too. It's always good to give.

My favorites are "drive like everyone else is an idiot" and I couldn't stop laughing at "before you marry her check her teeth".

Debra She Who Seeks said...

The best thing my Dad taught me was to always finish one task before starting another. In other words, be focused!

Ileana said...

Great one by your dad and the others came up with some good ones, too!

I remember my dad telling me, "nothing is as bad as you think it is, no matter how bad you feel, it's nothing you won't get through...there's nothing like one day after the next." Of course, this was all said in Spanish but every time I faced a major crisis in my life, his words came back to me and they've given me strength when I've been at my lowest.

Great post, Chica! Hope you are feeling better. :-)

LL Cool Joe said...

My Dad taught through his actions as well as his words. Loyalty, kindness and equality. Oh and support, he always supported me through all the decisions I made in my life. :)

Anonymous said...

My dad told me to drive as if everyone on the road is an idiot all the time. He still says that. If I listened like a good girl, I would have rear-ended that one man. Poor guy.

Shionge said...

Such wise words for wisdom RK and yes, my Father did tell me give my best shot in everything I try and live not to regret it.

A Beer for the Shower said...

"Drive like everyone else is an idiot."

Was this sent in by my dad? He taught me this, and I still carry it with me to this day. Without it, I'd probably be dead at the hands of some 16 year old girl... texting while driving 100 mph through a school zone, of course.

wigsf3 said...

Best advice my father ever gave me: "Sex is more fun if you canna 'ave babies." Sure, he was talking about cats but they're still words to live by.

Riot Kitty said...

Thanks everybody! I think WIGSF wins.

DWei said...

These are all pretty good. My Dad has said some good ones to me but I'm not sure how to best translate them.

Riot Kitty said...

DWei: That's too bad!

Anil P said...

Your Dad's advice is apt, and so true. It's a credo to live by.

Among the others, I liked:

"Drive like everyone else is an idiot."

and

"Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes."

Riot Kitty said...

Anil: The lead dog one was so true. So was the driving one, come to think of it.

Michael said...

LOL these are great, the best advice I got from my dad was kind of cliche but, do the best you can and that's ALL you can do. It got me relaxed a lot when I would feel nervous about doing something difficult.

Riot Kitty said...

Matt: That is good advice. I give it to myself all the time ;)