Wednesday, 17 June 2009
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I had the Meanest Dad in the Whole Wide World
Growing up, I had the “meanest dad in the whole wide world.” While other kids were out riding their bikes, counting toads, and enjoying summer vacation, I was cleaning toilets and making kool-aid for hundreds of campers. He didn’t believe the child-labor law was valid… I began “volunteering” at our campground at an early age. I wasn’t alone in my suffering. My sister had the same mean dad as me.
Every week in the summer, my dad made me mow around every tree on the campground (24 acres worth) with a push mower and then do the detail work with grass clippers. He thought it important that I learn discipline.While other kids were eating at the Dairy Mart for lunch, my dad thought it wise to teach frugality by making me eat hot lunches in the school cafeteria.
My dad insisted in knowing where I was at all times. You’d think we were in a chain gang. He had to know who our friends were and where we were going. If he said to be home at 10:00 pm, I was to be home at 9:55. If I wasn’t home until 10:01 (which I never dared), my curfew would become 9:00 until I went to college. I had no doubt he meant it.
My dad bought my sister and me a yellow hatch back that was previously used to haul sick calves to the vet. It was littered with dirty hay and smelled horrible. He said we could either drive that to school or ride the bus.
I had to get up in the mornings… no sleeping in like the other kids. Someone needed to make hundreds of pancakes for the campers. Apparently that had to be me.
My dad always insisted on me telling the truth—the whole truth—every time, even if it killed me.
He made my sister and I share everything—our room, a can of grape soda, one hairdryer, one bathroom!
He embarrassed me to no end by interrogating (with a shotgun) my boyfriends, once he let me have one. While my friends were dating at the young ages of 12, I had to wait until 18 to go on a date.
Each spring, we painted and painted and painted – the camp pool, cabins, benches, walls, fences. Everything must look clean and we must learn to respect and take good care of our property.
He made us invest some of our money and give some to missionaries. We picked up pop cans and redeemed them for 5 cents each, then invested that money into CDs at the bank to help pay for college.
I couldn’t lie in bed “sick” like my friends and miss school. My dad’s motto, “No blood. No sympathy.”
He told me if I worked too slow a turkey buzzard would eat my eyes! He expected no "dilly-dallying" and he expected the job to be completed correctly. I’m still a bit terrified of buzzards.
He made me skin the rabbits after we went hunting and know how to correctly hook a worm for fishing. He thought it important to know how to live off the land.
When other girls were wearing make-up and getting their ears pierced at 8 years old, he thought it was essential for me to “realize my natural beauty.”
My grades had to be kept up to par. I was not allowed to be a slacker or drop-out.
If I wanted to play sports, I had to attend every practice and be early to get in extra practice. He believed in improvement. One time he made me learn to pace my running speed by driving behind me in the car and keeping the car going a certain speed.
He embarrassed me by showing up at my track meets in full camouflage hunting gear. He attended every sporting event… no matter how cold or miserable it was.
I didn’t get an allowance, but had to earn every penny.
My dad demanded respect. He didn’t allow us to back-talk, cuss, or be rude to people.
I had to be home in time for supper because the family always ate a home-cooked meal together.
We had to monitor bluebird houses and frog populations and report them to the Department of Natural Resources. He thought we needed an appreciation of wildlife.
We had to be ultra quiet whenever he was in "his chair." That is where he prayed for us each morning and read the Bible.
I had to dress modestly at all times and dress nicely for church. The family had to be 15 minutes early for church, never later. The pastor might need help getting things ready. And it wasn’t about religion; it was understanding God’s gracious gift to us.
Out of his 2 children, both of us graduated with bachelor’s degrees, played collegiate sports, selected great husbands, and are now in ministry.
Neither of us have ever been arrested, drunk, or homeless.
He raised us to be responsible, honest, educated adults. We both can mow a lawn to look superb, we make fabulous pancakes, know how to eat very frugally, can skin a rabbit with our eyes closed, and we have incredible work ethics.
We value our property, can share a can of pop, and spot a tree frog in the dark. We value hospitality, volunteering our time, and giving to God’s work. We love our Heavenly Father.
Oh… and we’re never late!
I thank God I had the meanest dad in the whole wide world. I love you daddy!
Happy Father's Day!
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Comments (31)
We'd be better off if a lot more dads were as "mean" as yours.
Your dad sounds pretty great.
how sweet
uhhhh....i think the world wouldn't end if dad's weren't AS mean as yours...XP
I wish he would open a Parenting School.
The world needs more dad's like him.
Thank you for sharing this.
what a great tribute to a man not afraid to live out his faith sincerely. we need more men like your father!
What a great Dad, to give you the gifts of self-confidence and self-sufficiency among all those other things. Wonderful post!
Wow, he had all your bases covered!
great post!~
Wow. I think the world might be a bit less chaotic if we had more dads like yours.
My only question is..why raise you that way rather than another? I'm just curious about your father, the man, and how he came to do things that way. In looking back as an adult, i try to see adults i was close to, and what made them tick, rather than with just the recollections of a child. There are a lot of ways to bring up kids and they all seem to work, so i'm not quarreling with how he did it.
How rare it is in today's society to have father's who really care about raising a Godly generation for Christ. Who care about teaching ethics, value of property, courtesy to others, diligence and discipline. I woke up every morning to see my father in his recliner reading his Bible, and my parents were also "strict" with us (by the world's standards!) about boys, clothing, chores, etc. But I am so grateful.
How wonderful that we have godly fathers for Father's Day!!
@randomneuralfirings - @JadedJanissary - @embrown88 - @Bricker59 - @jerjonji - @saintvi - @storyslut - @SpongeBobScaredyPants - @Passionflwr86 - @Jifners - Thanks for your kind comments about my dad. He is a great guy. Of course, no dad is perfect and we have our differences. I didn't appreciate a lot of those things growing up, but I see their purpose now. He'll always be my daddy!
@desotoinquest - I have no idea why my dad chose to raise me the way he did. He was raised as a farm kid and saw the value in hard work. I see a lot of him in me today. I didn't always appreciate his parenting style, but I know it saved me a lot of heartache and gave me a lot of skills that I use everyday! Thanks for your comment.
Great story, thanks for sharing.
I think it's wonderful that your dad did this. Obviously he was able to do it in the right way :)
My problem is that my parents expected a lot out of me, but didn't give me the support I needed to do it. When I had sicknesses, they just told me to suck it up. I don't think that's right (as well as, I don't think it's right to say "No Blood. No sympathy") . I had hypoglycemia and depression, but even though the depression was glaringly obvious, and even though I was tired all the time (from the hypoglycemia) and told them as much, and told them that's why I didn't think I could do such and such, they didn't try to find the root of the problem. They just basically acted like I was being lazy. I had to find the root of the problem myself, which was really hard on me as a kid. For years I just ignored everything.
My parents didn't support me into becoming an adult. They just tried to make me act like one right away. And that lead me into a lot of problems.
I think people should be careful of this.
awwww
He sounds exactly like my daddy minus the bible bit.
Yes, your dad was so "mean". I was always amazed how he could get the roughest, rudest, crudest kids to be well behaved by the end of camp. He was very patient and met kids where they were at, loving them unconditionally. Yes, there need to be more dads in today's world like yours and mine.
i like being able to look back at our childhood and reanalyzing everything that we once thought was awful and appreciating it so much more...great post! ^_^
My Dad was the same way, though he didn't force us to go to church or give to missionaries.
Just trying to prove the point that you don't need to be a "godly" person in order to be a loving parent and raise good kids.
the ending was great <3
I hope you passed on these ethics/values to your children as well :)
great Father's Day post.
Wow. And I'm going to my first therapy session on Monday because of my father lmao.
You're a lucky girl. My mom never spoiled us, and though it annoyed me, I also knew it would benefit me in the long run. More parents should learn this.