Father’s Day (Sunday, June 17; don’t forget!) is a moment to recognize and celebrate all things Dad. Guiding us through this little thing called life, Dad teaches us lessons sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. These lessons can be translated from ambiguous responses, puzzling commands or simply hilarious sayings that we lovingly define as “Dadisms.”
We asked our own EDENS’ community for their favorite Dadisms. Here are 10 priceless sayings from our EDENS’ Dads:
Daniel M., Columbia: ‘‘‘Hitting is not an option!’ A phrase often said to my brother and me when we would argue.”
Deborah K., Houston: “‘When your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall.’ This Dadism has served me well all my life!”
India C., Dallas: “My Dad’s joke with our family is that he’s a ‘Guru’. He has t-shirts, coffee mugs and keychains labeling him a Guru. Despite the fact that he hasn’t studied Hinduism or Buddhism, he considers himself an influential teacher and a very popular expert on a little bit of EVERYTHING. The family begs to differ, but if we ever question him, his favorite response is, ‘Hey, don’t question me, I’m a Guru!’ My Dad’s personal #7WordStory.”
Rachel S., Columbia: “My dad tells me every time there’s a hurricane that I should pack up my dogs, my husband and drive all the way to Ohio to stay with them for a few days. The rare times they call for even a dusting of snow, he makes sure I have supplies, too. It’s sweet that he’s still looking out for his kids.”
Erik D., D.C.: ‘‘‘You left Thomas Edison in your room.’ Translation: ‘You left the lights on.’”
Julie A., Dallas: “Not understood until I was an adult, my dad always said ‘be thankful that your problem can be solved with money.’ Now I understand that there are some things we wish we could just ‘buy’ away!”
Meghann K., D.C.: “My Dad’s favorite line was telling me to ‘separate yourself from the pack.’ At 12, I had no idea what he was talking about, but now, I know he was encouraging me to distinguish myself. His reminder stays with me every time I work a room!”
Judy J., Atlanta: “My Dad was a precious man, very loving, kind and generous. His laugh was contagious and his hugs were the best. He also taught us good manners, a strong work ethic and respect! When he gave a firm answer to a question, he would say, ‘…and that’s the word with the BARK on it!’ Meaning, like a tree, the bark is stuck and he was NOT changing his mind!”
Sydney D., Columbia: “Whenever we took a shower that was longer than 10 minutes, my dad would bang on the bathroom door and shout, ‘This isn’t a water park!’”
Sara B., D.C.: “My siblings and I would often fight against eating vegetables at dinner. If that was the case, my dad would threaten us with ‘you better eat those greens, otherwise you’ll be sitting here having them for breakfast.’ You can bet those veggies were eaten, as we were not going to miss out on our Eggos.”
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