From your fathers on love, money, jobs
June 15, 2011 -- Updated 1300 GMT (2100 HKT)
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Some fathers give their children verbal advice, some are hands on and some teach by example.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Readers share advice their dads gave them on love, money and jobs
- "Money won't buy you happiness. It just gives you options .." said one dad
- "You are young, You will have 500 million other opportunities"
- "Watch how a man treats a waitress or waiter and his parents. Take a cue from that"
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(CNN) -- Dear Old Dad -- his special day is coming this weekend. And so in honor of Father's Day, here are some pearls of wisdom our readers got from their dads and shared with us.
The advice ranged from money, cars, jobs all the way to hope and integrity.
DaLuchie says his father urged him to be well-rounded. "My Dad would say, "You gotta have it here" (pointing at his head), "here" (pointing to his bicep), "and here"(pointing to his heart)."
Always Frugal's dad's could see into the future. "The best advice my father gave me: 'Remember, before doing anything in life, if what you do/say cannot be printed on the headlines of every magazine on the planet, you probably shouldn't do it.' I have to say, it certainly keeps one honest."
Oiler41 says his dad told him, "There are only two things in the world that no one can ever take away from you: Your knowledge and your integrity. You can choose not to learn and you can choose to compromise your integrity, but no one can take either of them from you once you have them."
NOYBB dad cautioned him: "One best friend is better than 10 casual friends."
XLGX says his dad warned against going along with a crowd: "People are like sheep. They don't stop to think about what they're doing ... they just follow whatever anybody else is doing. Don't be like that. THINK about what you're doing."
Instructions on how to do things is what mtnway got from his dad. "My dad taught me to be a self-reliant adult. When I first started living away from home (college), I distinctly remember my peers marveling at how I just knew how to 'do' a lot of things. Fix a computer, fix a car, juggle, cook, use logic to solve problems, read a topo map, write coherently, back a trailer ... the list goes on and on."
But get the right tools according to the father of IAtroutGuide: "My dad taught me how to FIX ANYTHING! Service the car. Rebuild a lawn mower engine or transmission! Fix the washing machine or the dryer! Basically, taught me everything important to be able to do myself--and invest in the BEST TOOLS, because your job is only as good as the tools you use. I have a wonderful garage full of awesome tools today. I did my own addition on my house; built my own deck; re-roofed my own house; a literal jack of all trades! Knowing all he taught me has saved me countless 1000's of dollars over the years!
Jewishmama says experience makes things easier. "My Dad always said, 'Nothing's hard once you know how to do it.' I've often thought of that through the years and it always made sense."
Money
"Money won't buy you happiness. It just gives you options, and options can sometimes be nice, but they won't make you happy," was the prescription for life that MD1JD got from his doctor daddy.
The physician also told his son: "Don't spend so much money buying a car before you own a garage (home). If you do, you may one day find yourself sleeping in your car."
And malangst's father's advice would have helped people before the recession hit. "When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep becomes your downfall."
Not4Nothin's dad tried to point him toward a wealthy woman. "It's just as easy to fall in love with a rich girl as it is to fall in love with a poor one."
His father's advice shocked newportmama. "'Make sure you always have good credit.'" He told me that one night all serious when I was 16 when I thought he was sitting me down to give me the abstinence talk."
Romance
Sallyforth88 says her dad gave her some old-fashioned and common sense advice about men, telling her to "Watch how a man treats a waitress or waiter and his parents. Take a cue from that. Also: don't date a man who smokes, drinks a lot, swears or talks dirty and gambles."
"Fix what is broken when you see it. Always keep a happy home," is what buildmypc's dad told him
Aalex9386 was told by his dad to "treat your women right."
Markfromark got some words of wisdom that has paid off for him over the years. "When I got married, my dad hugged me and said "Don't ever go to bed mad at each other." That was 4 children, 4 grandchildren, and 37 great years with the same wonderful wife ago."
But turtle995 got a warning about women: "Don't marry a pretty woman."
Texasweb also was cautioned by his dad. "Stay away from women! They'll ruin your life. You're not you anymore. You become them. All the time you thought you're the head of the house, but they're the ones that turns your neck."
Some of this wisdom seems a bit too current -- like the advice turtle995 says his dad gave him: "Keep your mouth shut and your junk in your pants."
Cars
Safety was on the mind of the father of NJNCPS when he said: "Drive as if everyone else on the road is crazy."
Sallyforth88 recalls her dad told her that "If one of your headlights goes out, replace it as soon as possible because the remaining headlight will probably burn out soon. You don't want to be stuck at night with no headlights!"
Jobs
Dads also offered some career advice to their kids.
"Work so you can live, don't live so you can work," MD1JD recalls being told.
"Go out and get a job. At least find out what you don't want to do," NJNCPS remembers.
PER70 says her father wanted all his girls to have the ability to support themselves. "He also told all three of his daughters to learn a skill (typing/shorthand) or get a degree so we wouldn't be dependent on a man. He said, 'You never know how life will turn out and you need to be able to support yourself and possibly your family. I want to know that you can do both on your own ... and by the way, only marry someone who will provide for you like I did or better.'"
And once you have a job, alwaysrite9 says his dad told him, "Never go over your boss's head and when you take a complaint to your boss, always have a solution to offer."
Osobien writes" "My dad is now 88 years old and he is not as sharp as he used to be. But I sat down to tell him a month ago that the best gift that he ever gave me was the gift that I could improve my lot in life and that I did not need to depend on anyone to do it. I am so glad that I could tell him what he meant to me before he passes away."
Bellanotte03 says, "I lost my dad in 1996, but he's still with me in spirit every day. He told me to choose a career that I really enjoyed as I would have to go to work every day, so I better like it."
Good times and bad
According to Guest, "My father always said, 'Thank You can never be said too often, or too loudly.'"
And when MD1JD was down in the dumps, his dad told him "If this is the worst thing that's ever happened to you in your life, you are very lucky!"
RAM05 shared similar advice: "Anything that seemed unbearable, too difficult to handle or to accept, my dad would remind me that 'This, too, shall pass.'"
And HearADC's dad added some hope. "You are young, You will have 500 million other opportunities."
Daily subtle things are what TheSenator remembers learning from his dad. "Asking me to help him around the house, teaching me stuff he knew how to do, encouraging my curiosity with his own, telling stories about mistakes he has made in life, letting me be my own man and make my own mistakes while offering subtle guidance. I guess it really is the little things in life that are important. Sad part is later in life he acted like he wasn't a great father, but in reality I don't think a man could have asked for more."
Hamonastick also appreciates the way his father lived his own life. "His example has been the greatest advice for me. Through all my parents' adversity, he is incredibly positive and optimistic. Its amazing to me how much that helps you get through tough times."
And Michizzle sums it up for many: "Wow... after thinking this through, I've realized that my dad has given me some of the best advice I could ask for. The list of wisdom he's shared is too long to ramble on about so I'll just say, thanks Dad, for everything."
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