Dad.  Pops.  Father.  S.O.B.  Whatever name you gave him, for those that had a dad in the house growing up know that, good or bad, we take a lot from him.  Whether intentional or not, we pick up the positives and negatives from our parents.

 

My sons spending QT with grandpa. I'm sure they learned some new words during their visit with my dad.
My sons spending QT with grandpa. I'm sure they learned some new words during their visit with my dad.
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Here are the three most important things I learned from my dad:

1.  To Burn, Or Not to Burn:  Burning meat on the grill is the only way to ensure there's no dangerous E-Coli or salmonella left.  My wife hates when I grill because the chicken is dry and the burgers have a flaky, charred outside texture, but I've been wary of food poisoning ever since a run-in with some under cooked chicken about 10 years ago.  She may not like it, but I'm just protecting my family.  As a bonus, burning the food beyond recognition is great for the diet... mainly because it tastes terrible and you don't want to eat it.

2.  Say Whaaaaat???:  My dad being a military man meant he hung around with the guys during the day and on long TDY trips.  The language and behavior of men around other men is usually shameful (if we had any shame), and when you get a group of military guys together for long periods of time you wind up letting the curse words fly.  As a result, dad didn't have an off switch, and we got to learn a wide array of filthy language we then shared with all our friends at school.

3.  Sound Advice:  Dad wasn't the "hug" kinda guy.  The only time he'd tell you he was proud was when the "brown stuff" (usually whiskey) was doing its thing.  The one piece of advice he shared with me that I think of to this day is, "Son, just remember this:  No matter how hot a woman may be, there's already 10 guys that are sick and tired of putting up with her BS".  Sounds sexist, but it actually taught me a very valuable lesson about relationships.  It made me realize a good looking woman wouldn't make me happy forever.  I needed to find someone that's more than just a cute face & nice body.  Luckily, I found a woman with the beauty & the brains.

 

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