Lessons from dad

My Dad taught me how to hang wallpaper I wish he were still here to see how well I learnt that lesson.

Morse code, how to make butterscotch, how to mend a puncture, how to drive, how to strip down and clean an SU carburetor.

He tried to pass on his patience and tolerance but 'Simmer down, honeybunch' tended to go in one ear and out the other.

Change a wheel, check the oil and water; swim; a love of rugby union and classical music; access to the bookshelves from an early age; crosswords; kindness. But it was my uncle who taught me how to mend a puncture on my bike, and to play tennis.

Practical physics, as in lots about of stuff about siphons and air pressure. Centrifugal forces on my sister's train set and how to bank the track up with dominoes to stop the train flying off the rails on bends.

How to sow seeds and plant out leeks, mix cement, lay the sticks for a coal fire. Strip and hang wall paper. Lay bricks, screw things together, play chess. "Draw" the fire by holding a newspaper against the open fireplace. (Not recommended on safety grounds.) and much more.

My dad taught me how to read. I used to sit on his knee and he read the paper to me. Then I took over and read to him, by osmosis I think. This was before I started school.

So many things. A love of architecture, classical music, horses and literature.

He taught me to mend a puncture on my bike, how to change a wheel on my car and also check water and oil levels, how to use tights as a temporary replacement when the fan belt went.

The beauty of nature and gardening

How to change plugs and fuses, unblock sinks. Lots,of practical things about repairing and maintaining a house.

Most importantly, to accept who I am and find contentment in life.

I adored my Father and miss him so much.

'Never a borrower or a lender be'; Not to judge as 'you never know what goes on behind closed doors'; Manners maketh the man (and woman); and so much more. My mum died when I was 5 and he raised me (and my siblings) on his own. He was a hard task master, but I loved him dearly and oh lord, I do miss him even tho' he died nearly 44 years ago.

My Dad taught me how to tie my shoelaces, how an internal combustion engine works and to polish my shoes on Sunday evening ready for school on Monday.

My Dad taught me how to play cricket,saw wood properly,weed a flower bed , make toffee , hang wallpaper ,use a screwdriver and hammer nails in straight. He also taught me never to buy something that had a multi purpose i.e. TV/DVD combo or a something similar can't think what he would have said as nowadays appliances have many multi uses.

My Dad taught me, among lots of other things, how to jug a hare you had just hit while driving home in the dark - I've never used that skill once!

My Dad taught me how to drive a steam train and to use a lathe and other tools to make components for the model steam trains that he built.

"When in doubt, say nowt" - I try, but I don't always follow his advice.

To take life's hard knocks and keep going.

A forwarding address is a useful thing to leave before you go.

Fathers can be bought by the highest bidder.

This is the daftest thread started on Gransnet - ever.

Father's Day is a ridiculous American invention. The card companies are the ones who benefit.

We were wartime babies. How bloody insensitive can Gransnet get?!!!

Yes, I was 'fatherless' until I was five and he finally got back from India.

I wish my father had taught me how to duck!!

My father returned when I was about 18/12. He taught me my first sentence:- let us now praise famous men and our fathers that begat us
He also taught me ,much later, to be a caring, sympathetic and patient GP

I like that, Galen,

Not all of us were war time babies and I've certainly seen sillier threads.

Are we not to mention fathers because some didn't know theirs or had lost them ? In which case we had better not mention Mums, Aunts, sisters, brothers, children. pets etc. etc.

I think it's a lovely thread. My father taught me so much; how to read - like Jen's father, how to date a church by its architectural details, he took me to places and taught me about their history and why they were where they were. Really importantly he valued women's education and expected dedication and hard work. Most importantly he taught, by example, how to be tolerant, respectful and inclusive. I'm still learning.

My father taught me loads and I'm still learning from him even though he died twenty-one years ago. He taught me not to be afraid of being different, he taught me self-respect, and to take difficult things in my stride.

Mind you, it's only our fathers that begat us! Nothing about the women who gave birth to us!
But he did believe in education for women. My maternal granddad said'science for a man, arts for a woman, ' hence my mother became an infants teacher.
My paternal grandfather with one son and four daughters and no money, allowed my father to go to university. But only because he did it all on scholarships. There was no money money left for the girls.
The twins became teachers, and the elder became a nurse rising to matron, the chief nursing officer for Herts and Beds. She's still alive age 92, does the DT cryptic crossword everyday and just moved into a residential home as she wants more company and most of her friends are in there!
think I might join her!

Surely by the time we reach grandparenting age, life itself has taught us much more than a parent ever did. Surely you are not still sheepishly following what was preached at you in early childhood?