Information Related to "Do You Know Your Dad?"
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Most
people spend the first 18 to 20 years of their lives with their parents.
What I know of my dad I learned during the time I spent with him as a
young boy growing up. At age 5, I really didn't think about my relationship
with him in a very serious way. As I look back, however, virtually everything
I know about my father—how he walked,
how he talked, how he thought, what he liked and what he excelled at—I
learned by spending time doing things and talking with him as
a small boy.
Some of my fondest memories are of the trips we took in the summer months to go fishing for brook trout in the streams of northwest Michigan. After deciding when we would go, my father would plan ahead for the food and bedding, prepare the old tent we had and gather the fishing tackle and gear we would need. We didn't have much in terms of fancy equipment, but my father used what we had. Dad taught us the basics of fishing—from baiting and setting the hook, to caring for the small trout after we caught them. While my brothers and I were always excited about the prospect of actually catching the fish, I learned many things about my dad and his personality when we spent time together on those fishing trips.
Of course, the camping and fishing trips during the summer months were not the only occasions I learned about my dad. My father was a real "Mr. Fix-it"—a household handyman who seemed to know all of the basics of carpentry, plumbing and mechanics. At the time, it seemed he could fix most anything. He taught me the value of preparation for a work project and the importance of doing a job right the first time. Of course, part of the reason I remember that "lesson" so well is that as a young boy, I occasionally didn't do things right the first time, and often paid the price!
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