Last year?

It's coming up next weekend.

a phone call

I miss my Pops!

Spend time with him before it's too late.

me. I'm the gift.

Last year: a shirt.

This year: a shirt.

Same thing as every year since 1999: a card and flowers on his grave

Last year? Alcohol.

This year? Fancy plates with pheasants on them, he likes boujee *****

swimmerbabe11 said:

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me. I'm the gift.

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arkansas or mississippi?

nah, it's just my birthday is right at father's day.

Lost my dad at 24, he was only 61. Give yours a hug for me

Took mine out for German food and polka music. He enjoyed it and shared many stories from his childhood. Nothing is better than your elderly father telling you stories from his past.

Wish I had this luxury

Gardening knife and a gift card.

Two years ago I bought him a Bug-a-salt gun. He absolutely loved it. He would sit outside almost every evening drinking a beer and shooting bugs.

This is going to be my first Father's Day without him. Hug your dad and talk to him as often as you can.

A shirt and AirPods

My dad never remembers who gave him anything, but if he likes a book I give him, he'll eventually try to pass it on to me saying, "somebody gave me this book, I don't remember who, but you might like it." So if I get him anything, it'll probably be a book on college football I've had my eye on.

socks and a schwan's delivery

tandy miller said:

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Wish I had this luxury

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You are more than welcome to be a bonus child to mine. He welcomes all. And loves to talk about himself.

Last year I got myself a laphroaig 37, this year an ego mower. Does that count

Fishing rod and reel last year. This year, I work, so hopefully a nice dinner prior and a cool kitchen gadget to break up ground meat.

Maybe a Happy Father's Day text if I think about it?

A bunch of fishing lures to use on the Father's Day fishing trip we went on

oh, look at me, my father didn't abandon me an ma!

A few years ago I started taking my parents on a trip as a combination Christmas/Mother's/Father's Day/birthday gift. Separately of course because traveling with them together would be a nightmare. It's win-win because they absolutely love it, it's made me closer to them both, and it gets me off the hook trying to think up 6 different gifts every year. Plus I'm pretty sure it makes them love me more than they love my siblings, which is very cool.

I may have remembered to text him.

When he was alive, I always got him something outdoorsy. The last thing I got him was a scope for his rifle.

bushytailed said:

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Two years ago I bought him a Bug-a-salt gun. He absolutely loved it. He would sit outside almost every evening drinking a beer and shooting bugs.

This is going to be my first Father's Day without him. Hug your dad and talk to him as often as you can.

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My dad was never the type who seemed to love me during my childhood. Seemed aloof though we lived together. Now he doesn't care to keep in touch with me. We have not had any fights or anything. I got no mentorship or guidance from him while growing up.

I talk to my mother every week. We have hour long conversations. I am one of those unfortunates not to have a great relationship with my father. It's not a "bad" relationship, it is mostly non-existent. I don't know why. If I catch him on the phone, he's speak a few words and give the phone to my mother. The last I spoke to him was when he called me for my birthday in the beginning of the year. He seems to prefer my younger brother more which is okay too. I have made peace now with this situation.

I make it a point to spend time with my kids and guide them, mentor them, parent them, play with them. My son will go to college next year. When he was a child, he used to call me to play his little games and I would say no because I was too stressed with work and MBA I was doing at the same time and the recession. Now he has grown up and when he calls me to play tennis with him, I never say no. Like yesterday, I was tired at 5:30 and he called me and I went out and played more than an hour with him. My dad never played anything with me. He was too busy with his company (that he has run very well). I take my son to all his tennis tournaments and enjoy all of it though I have to wait there for hours. I find and schedule them myself. Making up for lost time.

I feel very unlucky and unfortunate about this but I tell myself there are people worse off than me. My close friend and classmate was one such. His father killed himself by hanging when we were in the 2nd grade. He grew up messed up because of this though his mom took good care of him. Eventually the depression got the better of him because he thought we got into good schools and he could not because he had no dad and he killed himself in 1995 by setting himself on fire in front of his mother.

A custom designed leather wallet that a good Ag in Ft. Worth made. This year I got him a copy of We Were Soldiers signed by Hal Moore. My Dad has the early stages of alzhiemers so his short term memory isn't what it once was. Gift giving has taken on a new meaning as I desperately want to give him a few more moments where he realizes how much I love him, where it makes that impression on him deeply. He forgets when I told him my wife and girls and I are leaving on a trip, but he remembers and thanks me for giving him that wallet.

Sounds a lot like my relationship with my dad. Now that I have a kid of my own when my son wants to show me a cool rock he found that looks exactly like the rock he showed me yesterday and the day before that and the day before that I act like it's the best damn rock I've ever seen.

To infinity ag,
I read your heartfelt piece on your relationship with your father. In my profession, I worked with parents and couples and children. I have done lots of workshops and presentations to couples. I want to assure you that many people share your experience. I just want to say to you, that lots of men, fathers, just don't know how to say , or demonstrate "I love you" to their children. That doesn't mean they don't love. They just don't know how to express it. I have had hard line father's break down in tears when they realized they spent their whole lives with their work, at the expense of their families.

I don't know your father's background, but he may be one of those who loves deep down, but just doesn't know how to show it.

Someday, maybe he will realize it, and let you know. I hope so.

Another grandkid

Ginormus Ag said:

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Last year: a shirt.

This year: a shirt.

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This or sandals basically every year.

I got a bottle of Blanton's with my birthday.

Sorry...did I say Blanton's? I meant Blanton's Gold.

Paid his rent and truck payment.