The 5 Best Dad Characters Entwined In 5 Different Stories
What makes the best father? Five individuals answer that here.
“Dad, you’re someone I look up to no matter how tall I grow.”
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Anonymous
In answer to the question What Makes A Dad The Best, five people share their heartwarming stories about their fathers and the five characters each possessed that made an impression on them now that they’re grownups.
Adventurous
“Dad was an adventurer while mom was someone who stuck to the books or map (this was before the age of GPS) for that matter.
He didn’t mind getting lost; she wanted him to follow the map details trail by trail, and his no-care attitude often drove her nuts. Going on a car ride with my parents was very interesting and entertaining to me as a little boy. While my mom would get frantic, dad would often pat her hand and assure her with “We’ll find our way back, don’t you worry, dear.”
I grew up with his want for adventure (that’s what I call his road navigating skills) and was entirely influenced by it. I believe that the world becomes interestingly bigger if one is not afraid of getting lost.”
- Richard Mueller, Father, And Grandfather
People not only parent differently because of who they are, they do so depending on circumstances and environment. — Justin Lioi, LCSW
Open-Minded
“My brother and I grew up with my father working as a Presbyterian minister. However, he worked as a pastor of a Free Methodist congregation years before that. Reaching our college years (we were four years apart age-wise); bro decided to study theology in a Presbyterian college. On the other hand, my aunt convinced me to study in the school where she worked as a teacher. Interestingly, it was a theological institute for the Churches of Christ.
Years later, my brother and I both visited home from school. That night during dinner time, our talk about the Lord’s Supper turned into a debate of some sort. It wasn’t serious though we were doling out every argument there was in the book. Eventually, mom got pissed off with our “fighting” she told laid out an ultimatum: “straighten ourselves out or quit school and come back home.” But dad pacified her with, “(Mom’s name), the kids are all grown up now. Let them think and find the truth for themselves.”
My dad’s retired now. My brother’s an associate pastor of a Nazarene church and my husband’s a minister of a Christian Church organization. But in our family reunions, our religious affiliations don’t matter. Love and relationship do.”
- MJ, Daughter Of A Minister And A Pastor’s Wife
Unselfish
“When I was about 9 or 10, I have this insane love for beef teriyaki. I would always coax my parents to eat in this restaurant where they served the dish. My mom and dad recently separated that time, and I spent my weekends with my father.
One time, he picked me up on a Friday from school, and I bugged him to eat out to that beef teriyaki place. After a few moments of asking with puppy eyes, he eventually said “Okay”, and we drove the short distance to the restaurant. Dad fell in line and bought me the dish that I ate with gusto. I noticed he didn’t order anything for himself and only helped himself with the vegetable side-dish that came with my meal and the onion rings I ditched as I didn’t like them. I asked as to why dad didn’t order for himself. He told me he wasn’t starving and that we shouldn’t let food get to waste.
It was after a few years that I knew the real story. Dad was financially strapped at that time and only had about 2 dollars in his wallet, barely enough for one beef teriyaki meal. He sacrificed his money just to see me happy.”
- Lawrence Kurniawan, Coordinator For An Online Transportation Operation
Research shows that fathers who participate closely in the care of their children from infancy are less likely to abuse their children. These fathers typically develop close emotional bonds with their children and have happier marriages, leading both husband and wife to be better parents. — Melanie Greenberg Ph.D.
Strong
“My father is badass, in a silent way. No, he did not punch the bad guys or takedown goons. “
When I was about 14, mom was involved in a car accident in Ecuador and couldn’t come home to the US for about six months. Our source of income was a family store, and throughout those times, dad never failed to drop us off at school, take care of the business and put food on the table during dinners. He told us updates about my mother’s health but never talked about the accident. To us kids, he looked cool and only a bit unaffected.
It wasn’t later on when grandma caught him crying secretly in his office at the back of the store that we knew the extent of his pain and worries over mom. It was a turning point for me. I started noticing how little he ate at dinners because mealtimes were always spent with them being together.
Dad wanted to appear tough and maintain normalcy in the house for us, kids. That, for me, is bravery.”
- Ed Romero, A Self-Confessed Man-Child Who Loves Taking Care Of Other People’s Kids
Fatherhood can clearly be a calling that creates a sense of duty for the man and reshapes his whole understanding of meaning and relationship. — The Rev. Christopher L. Smith, LCAC, LMHC, LMF
Loving (In A Silent Way)
“I wanted to have my boat when I was ten, so dad struck a deal with me: spend my Saturdays with him building up his craft, and after that, he would build one with me. I thought boat-building was easy. A year into the building, I got fed up with all the hammering and tinkering I called it quits and threw the hammer away.
Dad and I didn’t talk about that incident over the years. Then some years back, he passed away. Mom handed me a set of keys to a storage compartment a few miles away from my childhood home, and there I found a completed boat and a handwritten letter from my father. He wrote about building it after I walked out, apologized for some things and thanked me for the Saturdays I spent with him those years ago.
I cried so hard after that. My dad held on to his promise even when I didn’t. That, for me, is love.”
- Mikka Luster, A Father Who Thinks Axes Are The Best Tools To Use For Hacking