`Daddy's girls' reminisce about gifts dads gave them
If you're among the one in five Americans who think dads don't give a darn about Father's Day, you're wrong. In fact, 74% of dads do care about the holiday.
That's according to Swagbucks.com online consumer rewards platform of L.A.-based Prodege LLC, which recently surveyed 1,542 adults, including 560 fathers.
Thirty-one percent of respondents think their fathers prefer family time to gifts.
Among offspring who plan to buy presents for their papas, favorite choices including gift cards, clothing or a hobby-related gift.
Popular dad fantasies, Swagbucks found, include turning their backyards into wonderlands, creating “man caves” and fixing up old cars.
Not surprisingly, 87% of Americans say they've learned valuable lessons from their dads, including to treat others as they expect to be treated, to save money and plan for the future, to be handy around the house and to stand up for themselves.
The most memorable “gift” I received from my “Daddy” was when he “gave it” to a male junior high teacher who gave me “licks”/paddles for talking in class. “If you ever touch my daughter again, I'll ... “
I can remember overhearing his phone conversation on the upstairs green dial phone.
It was far from tactful, but I've never been prouder.
My own straw poll on Facebook found lots of my friends — seemingly Daddy's girls, like my twin sister and I were — also have precious and unforgettable memories of their dads, many of whom are
now departed like mine.
Susie Hibbler said the greatest gift her dad gave her was his time.
“He would play catch with me, cards, dolls if I wanted … took me fishing. He also gave me his sense of humor,” Hibbler said. “`If you can laugh at yourself, you will always be happy' were his famous words of wisdom.”
Other friends learned car care skills from their fathers. Jean Ratterman's dad, 98 and a D-Day vet, taught her at 15 how to change a tire and check the oil.
Susan Burk's dad also taught her to change a tire — and shoot a gun.
Sue McClain's father told her never to drive on a flat tire or you'll bend the rim.
She did it anyway in the family car, got in big trouble, but hasn't done it again!
Other friends cherish jewelry they received from their dads, including Glenda Crider who still wears a blue star sapphire ring her dad gave her in the eighth grade.
Mary Clem Good Morris got diamond earrings and roses when she turned 18. And Cassandra Donnelly, as a joke, asked for a diamond ring for Christmas when she was 16 — and “Santa” delivered.
Donna Cubstead's dad gave her a purple dinosaur from a claw machine.
“He stuffed it in the side door panel of my car and said, `It represents me always being with you wherever you go,'” she said.
The now-faded-and-worn toy has now ridden in three cars, but every time Cubstead spies it she knows that her daddy, who died 16 years ago, is still riding with her.
Jill Dillon's dad taught her to value education as a means to help others. Laure Vaught Majors' dad, who grew up poor, taught her that everyone matters and helped countless young people get ahead.
Leslie Berger's dad, the late Rick Lofgren, taught her about professionalism and respect by living it day in and day out, she said.
Berger said the Piedmont Fire Department last year used his memorial donations to buy dress uniforms for their firefighters because as the current chief stated, “Chief Lofgren was all about professionalism. And now when you see a firefighter in a suit looking as sharp as he can look, that will be Chief Lofgren's legacy.”
Sadly, Pam Conley lost her dad at 55 to colon cancer.
“He taught me that life is fragile, that I should treasure health, and to fight without complaining,” Conley said.
Finally, Jayne Roach treasures both the good and bad lessons she learned from her dad, who's been gone 20 years.
He taught her to play softball.
He also taught her about the kind of person she did not want to be, she said.
“I still sometimes find myself doing or saying something that reminds me of him, and I stop immediately,” Roach said. “I feel fortunate that I am aware of his negative influence, and I continue to learn from it. It's truly made me a better person and made me better at loving people the right way.”