What was your relationship with your Dad like?

[Averageman]

Just Curious.
I was having a conversation with my Son about some school stuff and came to the realization, that I never could have talked to my Dad like that.
Kinda made me Sad.
My Dad was a good guy. Great student, decent HS athlete, amatuer Army boxer and Paratrooper. I'm not sure if he was medically discharged or retired, he didn't talk to much about his service.
He was of that "Mad Men" generation of smoking and drinking and everything in excess,
He did tell me when he was a young guy a lot of the guys he was serving with had WWII combat jumps. He said he was setting next to an old NCO who told him "Never worry until they start handing out small arms ammo." He said two minutes later guys started hand trucking ammo up to the plane.
I dunno, we kind of lost touch after the divorce and never reconnected again.
Kinda makes me sad, hope I would have made him proud.

[chuckman]

My dad died in 1977 when I was 8, so I never really knew him. Many of his friends have passed, but according to our family and what few friends remain, he walked on water. My sister, now 62, still adores him. I still have big shoes to fill.

I had two men who were there for me growing up, became mentors and father figures. I try to be like them with my own kids. I try to think of what kind of father I wanted growing up and be that man.

[WillBrink]

My father was not a bad person at his core, but a world class narcissist. He was in WWII, but was in the orchestra of a general who loved music. That one is a funny story.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

I was super lucky. My dad was absurdly relaxed and easy going. He served in the Air Force during Korea and then went on to be an engineer at TI/JPL/NASA on pioneer and mariner venus and mars. Scary smart but also weirdly modest. Didn’t care at all about possessions other than electronic instruments and repairing motors, etc. died at 69 in 2005 and I miss him every day.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

My father had a genius IQ. He treated others with genuine respect and was the most easy going person I've known. Unfortunately, he was gone much of the time flying around the globe. No alcohol, tobacco or firearms. No shared hobbies with dad other than flying his plane. I believe he truly enjoyed his adult life. He was raised by a single mother in poverty reliant on the Church to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. He passed away from cancer nearly 20 years ago at 74.

[sadmin]

My Dad has had an interesting character arc over the years. He was very stern and stoic when I was approaching my teenage years. He travelled globally for work and was gone a lot. I became an asshole teenager and so when I did see him, he was usually disappointed, albeit rightfully so.
When I hit my late 20s and had my shit together, we grew closer and he was home more. I hugged him, told him I love him, etc.. things that were historically well out of his comfort zone. My family was not affectionate growing up, no love loss, just parents who arent very affectionate.
When I got married and had my first daughter, my Dad had a massive shift. He became very sensitive, emotional, light and relaxed. In parallel, he was contracting and does very well so it just became a very sweet time; my whole family grew closer it seemed. My wife and mother get along etc..
About 8 years ago, he asked if I would work with him on the weekends and it was a nice way to make some extra money. We basically became best friends, I cant imagine anyone I want to be around more outside of my wife and kids. Its been amazing and truly a blessing as he is now Stage 4 prostate cancer and things are rough.
I know time is limited and I take great comfort in knowing I dont have much regret or misappropriated time.. we spend tons of time together and I visit him a couple times a week / talk daily.

[Johnny Rico]

My Dad was modest, hard working, God-fearing. He was also old school, so we didn't communicate as much as kids and their fathers do these days. Don't resent that one bit, but I am a bit jealous that that sort of dynamic is presently looked down upon.

Everything I have I credit to him. He had a good life in the old country. Great career, family and friends, he had it all. He willingly left it all behind to start over here in the U.S. so that his kids could have a better life and his descendants would all be blessed to be American.

[ABNAK]

I'm gonna part ways with what seems to be the sentiment here, and maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but here goes: my dad was mostly an asshole. He was what they called (at the time) manic-depressive. Saw him hit my mom a number of times, as well as my brother and I (not talking spankings either). We weren't close, especially as a kid (I despised him). As an adult he and I almost came to blows twice that I recall, both times he had it coming. In hindsight I'm glad it didn't happen as I'd probably regret beating his ass now. In later years we got along for the most part. Sad isn't it? I didn't cry at his funeral when he died in 2009 at almost 64yo. I felt guilty about that for some time but realized you can't force emotions like that and if nothing else I'm not fake. Such is life, water under the bridge.....

I envy those of you who had dad's you referred to as "best friends". I don't have kids but if I did I'd try to be like your dads, not mine.

[Artos]

My folks divorced when I was real young & I went to live with him in Jr Hi...I too was lucky & we are still hunting / fishing buddies. Very close.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

My dad was middle of 7 seven kids, got his first car in a poker game, was Jesuit-educated(when that meant something) knife-fighter intellectual Socratic teacher, who could sell anything to anyone. He drank too much, talked too much, but was always ready to listen. He was such a character that my three siblings and I only got 1/4 of it. Taken too early 22 years ago, but I got to know him when we were both adults, but before I was a father. I know that he was proudest of me when we’d have a few beers and a few arguments and he would just pause and look at me with a little smirk that I knew meant “He gets it”.