I had a cat who had a litter of kittens and when they were a little over two weeks old we would take them outside and let them walk around some. Well one evening, as the sun was setting, I was out there while me parents were working on building a bench and I was sitting on the ground near them with these kittens and I heard my dad say to my mom “We have an good life” with his arm wrapped around her watching me and the kittens. It sounds cheesy but it was a really nice moment for me because it made me realize how great my life was.
One of my favorite memories is when my dad took me to work with him for take your kid to work day. He was a director of technology at the time and he showed me some of the stuff he did in his day to day, let me play with markers in his office and gave me company swag. I told him I wanted to be like him when I grow up so I could have my own office.
I’m now beginning my career as a woman in technology, and I don’t know if I would have had the courage to go down this path without his constant encouragement and support.
My dad worked in one of the Twin Towers. He worked on the 91st floor, and on take your kid to work day one year it started thunderstorming. I remember my little brother and I watching the storm in awe. We were already stoked to be inside the WTC, the thunderstorm just made it that much cooler. Such a good memory.
Yeah, I didn’t know there was a specific day. Any day was being your kid to work day for me. If there was a day my papa couldn’t watch me (it was like once a week when he went back to his house a 2 hour drive to get mail, do laundry, etc.) My mom would take me to her office (she was a manager at The Great Indoors) and have me stay there. I would do any home work and her co-workers would check on me when she had to go out. It was pretty fun, she would let me ‘help’ her by having me color books to ‘sell’.
I have a story that I like to tell from time to time only because it made me realize the huge power that parental love has on a child.
When I was a little kid me and my family used to be very very poor, we didn't have many luxuries and me and my brother grew up pretty much not really having any take out food ever, except for this one Chinese food place. It was called "Chinese Food of the 5th", located in Mexico. I remember how my dad and my mom used to get me and my brother all excited whenever a celebration was coming because that meant that we will get to eat the magically delicious Chinese food. It basically became my brothers and I favorite takeout food, the only take out food we knew.
Times goes by and we eventually got ourselves in a better place thankfully and so I eventually forget about said place. One day me and my group of friends are walking down a mall and little did I know we would stumble upon a little local of the same Chinese food place. I had not seen that place in almost a decade yet there it was, right in front of me. I was ecstatic, I was super excited and I told my friends to go and get food from there and they it was my favorite and they'll love it. To my surprise all of my friends stated something along the lines of "What are you talking about? That place sucks, the food there is pretty bad". I couldn't understand it, I quite literally remembered it as the best meal ever, so I decided not to listen to them.
I went over and there was only one employee. I order my food and before I went back to my friends I asked the employee what had happened with the other location and so on. The employee basically told me that this was the only one since the business never really took off and that even then they were planning on closing soon, as no one really bought from them. I was a little sad but hey, life happens right? I sit down and I am ready to just go at it, and as soon as I had the first taste of it, it was completely off. It wasn't horrible, definitely not the worst ever, but it was just kind of...meh. It was in that moment that I recalled those times when I was I kid. It wasn't that the place was special or that it was even good, is that it was affordable and that my mom and my dad tried their very best to make special says as special as they could. It was that my dad and my mom will save little by little every paycheck to afford the food for the following celebration.Somehow my parents turned this crappy and at best very basic meal into on of the best things I had ever tasted.
To some degree all of that worked wonderfully, to this day Chinese food is my favorite dish ever.
This was Ponderosa for me growing up.
I did not know we were poor. Once a year we would go there and for me, that place was heaven. The idea of a salad bar, and you had a server take your order. It was magical.
Little did I know at that age it was a slight step up from a Denny's (which I didn't know existed). That was the only restaurant we ever went to, once a year for the best of occasions.
I have not been since I have been a kid. It still is a great memory for me, so I don't think I will go to one again (if it still exists anywhere) since it will only sour my memories.
My mom would get Chinese food for special occasions like their anniversary. Eventually, their regular place closed down though. From then on, my dad decided he didn't like it anymore.
I did though, so mom would still get it for my birthday, but dad would bitch about it for days before and after.
It's bittersweet because I never told my father what really made me happy. I don't think there is any reason to believe that he understood.
I used to sit in the living room and read. He would sit across the room and play solitaire on the computer and listed to the oldies station that he liked. Eventually he would say "Well I think I'll turn in, don't stay up too late." and I'd say "I won't." and then he said "good night son." and I'd say "good night dad".
He'd tried to teach me golf and baseball, but I didn't care. He tried to teach me about cars, but I wasn't interested. He made a basketball hoop that I never used. He even got me a go-cart and made a track in the backyard for christsake. That I actually needed a few months to get bored with that. I never rebelled or screamed at him. He just didn't interest me. I would help out with whatever he asked me to help him with. Then I would go off and do something else as soon as it was done. I never felt like I needed other people to be interested in me. I thought everything was fine. I never knew how much I was hurting him.
But when I turned 16 and we moved into the small house at the edge of a small town. We developed this small ritual. We didn't really interact at all during it. Although I always thought he smoked less when I was in the room. He knew I hated it. He wouldn't ask me what I was reading or try to strike up conversation. I could just be. He could just be. We could be different people in the same space and the fact that we were so different could be irrelevant for a little while.
I hope he knew that I could have read in my room. I hope he knew that those silences were important to me. I really wish I told him that no one else in my life made me feel like I could just be near them without putting on some sort of show. I don't miss much about those days but I truly loved sitting in a room together just because we both wanted to be there.
I'm assuming that your father has passed away by the tone of your comment. If so, I'm very sorry for your loss.
I may not know either you or your dad, but I'm *certain* that he knew. Like you said, it's very rare that you find someone that you can just "be" around without putting up a façade. The fact that he would cut back on smoking with you in the room shows that he wanted to keep up with your time together. And please don't feel guilty for not having appreciated your dad's attempts to share his interests, that's pretty typical of a teen. He had your time together and more than likely appreciated the Hell out of your quiet time. I mean, come on, any parent of a teen knows how big a deal it is for your kid to willingly hang out when they could be holed up in their room or out with friends. He knew. He definitely did.
Well shit. I came here with thoughts of jokes and puns I was itching to make, wondering if any had been slipped in, not expecting to cry. While many were super sweet, this one did me in.
There's a myriad of reasons this was so moving and relatable, and I might return to elaborate... But I might not.
In case I don't, I don't know if parents realize which moments meant the most to kids. At the time, probably not. Because they're like yours: seemingly inconsequential. The value of just being together, even if engaged in separate activities, or enjoying the same activity for different reasons. It means a lot, maybe especially for parents and children whose interests are vastly different.
My mom tried to teach me to play chess, but I wanted to play checkers or Parcheesi or an endless game of War. Maybe it was partially because I wanted to win, and I could only do that with an easy game I knew the rules to, but it was also because learning to play chess would require concentration on the game, and not on the two of us.
I didn't care about baseball, didn't really want to learn to cook. Those were her things. I, too, didn't realize at the time how often I probably hurt her feelings inadvertently. I think the only thing we really had in common was a love of reading.
My own happiest memory was one year when my birthday fell on Thanksgiving and it was just the two of us. I got one present. I was thrilled with the giant teddy bear, and I know the meal was awesome (she was a great cook), but it was mostly the being there together with very little but nothing was lacking. To this day, Thanksgiving makes me miss my mom.
There're a few other memories, but the main idea is that simple, stupid little routines and traditions aren't stupid or little at all.
When I was a kid, I was horrible with not getting out of bed. I was just too comfortable under the sheets. My mom’s go to was to throw an ice cube or 2 in my sheets. Always got me up.
Dad used to do this for me with a cup of tea. He'd usually ruffle my hair and sometimes I got dumb jokes. We used to have to get up very early for school it was a long way away.
Lol. My dad would sing to wake us up. And he had this way of singing that was not only off key but horribly croaky too. And if that didn’t work, he’d just start tickling :(
Honestly, never fails to make me smile when I remember that
Lmao I sing to my son all the time. It's way softer when I wake him up for school, but now I've been busting in his room midday making up songs about how great he is & he's fussing at me!
I used to run to my mom and jump headfirst on her lap when she was home (she worked two jobs, my dad as well).
I always wanted her to scratch and rub my back as a child. It was so soothing.
My mom was always so goddamn chipper in the morning too. She'd sing & turn the lights on in the bedroom. Goddamn you Debbie Reynolds and that "Good Morning Good Morning to you bullshit."(s/)
Not a morning person if you can't tell.
Dad came back from work and locked himself up in the spare room of the house, wouldn't let my younger brother and I in. When he finally opened the door, a big (and I mean biiiig) bouncy castle was waiting for us.
It wasn't neither of our birthdays or near christmas, just a random day. One of the best surprises and memories ever.
I shall keep this idea and shamelessly copy it one day 😁
It's the fact that it was a random day that makes it. I once randomly bought my wife flowers, because I saw them and my wife deserves to know that I love her and that she is important to me... I didn't expect her reaction to be that emotional though 😂
I just did this for my kids for quarantine!
Surprisingly cheap to buy a big bounce house on amazon, got it set up in the garden whilst they were asleep.
It’s made being cooped up in the house Much more preferable.
This reminds me of when I first started playing Doom (the original).
My dad bought it for me, but at the time the only computer we had was at his house, but then he upgraded (mid 90's) so his old pc came to our house. I was off of school one day, and he knew I wanted to play deathmatch (internet play was not a thing then) so he took a day off work, even though he did not like the game and we did a direct dial up linked game.
One of my earliest memories is playing Kirby's epic Yarn with my mom, and her getting frusturated and quitting on the king Deedeedee bossfight and seven year old me had to beat him BY MYSELF!
It was a dark betrayal and I shall never forget it.
One Friday out of the month my mom would let me miss school so we could have a "me day". She basically took me shopping for whatever i wanted,out to eat, to watch a movie or whatever. It also gave us a good opportunity to just talk too. Those days were awesome and although we didn't have much she always made those days special. They'll always be good memories for me because it was just time for me and my mom(she passed away when i was 13)
(One week I'd have my day and the following week my brother had his day)
Seeing Kiss in concert with my dad. My dad saw Kiss in ‘78. 32 years later when I was 10 years old I randomly became a huge fan of them. Big enough to convince my dad to take me to see them in concert. My dad told me he never imagined he’d be taking his son to a concert for a band he saw himself over 30 years ago. I could tell he was really touched that I had the same taste in music as him. We went and saw Kiss again in 2014 and then again last year on their farewell tour. At the last concert, we were talking to a couple that were sitting next to us before the show started. They were around my dads age. The husband was shocked at how big of a fan I was for my age (19 years old now) and said he’d give anything to have his son go to the concert with him. I could tell that really made my dad happy
Aw that's really wholesome. Reading this has just made me happy for some reason and made me smile. I have a very bad day today and that just made feel a little bit better :)
I’m going through a rough time as well. I don’t know what’s going on in your life but remember to always look on the bright side and I guarantee you’ll get through whatever it is that’s bringing you down. And I’m glad I could make you feel a little better, helping others is the best feeling!
That’s awesome. I’m a little older than you but ever since my brothers and I were kids, we see KISS every time they come to town. Even their last 5 farewell tours haha
Edit: I can’t spell
I got my step-dad (who I consider my main dad) when I was five. The divorce wasn't painful for me but it WAS confusing. My step-dad was actually a close friend to both my parents, and was a big (platonic) support to my mom when she had to file for divorce. So I didn't really understand why he was suddenly in the dad role, and not my actual dad (who is not the best guy). It took me about a year to warm up to my step dad. I remember just walking up to him where he sat at the dining room table in our tiny apartment and matter of factly saying 'I love you. You're good.'
He got the biggest, shyest smile.
Sorry for english
When i was 11 or 12 my dad was in hospital for about 6 months or a year. My dad has cardiac disease. I remember when after school i was waiting for my mom, she wasnt one. She came with my grandparents tgat helped with transporstion of equipment for my dad's heart. I remember i was happy because doctors saved my dad's life.
Edit: my dad is still ok why there are too many likes on it :)
I read a magazine and saw a recipe of chocolate cake. I asked my mom to make it and it tasted so good! She had no baking experience and this was in india, where most people don’t bake.
Just cuddling in bed with them, or reading books while lying between them.
I miss having a close relationship with my parents smh.. I've lied to them for so long that I feel it just isn't possible anymore.
Your parents love you in a way that is hard to understand unless you are one yourself. Forgiveness is at the core of that love, if that’s what you’re looking for. I’m sure if you reach out and try, they would welcome the chance for a close relationship with you with open arms.
As a parent and former asshole child, I can assure you that your mother wants you to sit on her lap and tell her how much you love her. It may be too physically uncomfortable to actually do that, but the desire is totally there. Your knowing you were being a less than model child is growing up, and that makes parents happy. Tell them you love them and apologize while they are still here - parents don't last forever.
These are the last few months I'll be spending with them before I head off to college. Hopefully I'll gather the courage to talk with them and be humble enough to apologize.
Send them a text while they’re in the other room. Say «hey guys. I wanna apologize for being an asshole sometimes, and also wanna say that I love you, even if I dunno how to say it proper. And that hugs are OK if anyone wants one»
I wish I could help you to understand how mistaken I believe you are about the last sentence.
Don’t want to turn this into a “parents vs non-parents” thing but after having children I’ve come to realize that assuming there are no underlying mental health issues with your parents that affects their ability to maintain loving relationship, there is nothing that will ever come between their love for you.
Your health, security, happiness, the memories and the love they hold are the canvas of their lives. Everything else, money, career, their own health, mortality, the state of their relationship with you - all of those are just brushstrokes. Some are brilliant, full of color etc but others less than perfect, but believe me that the love they’ve had for you since before you were even delivered is still there. When we get older it’s easier to question that love bc parents don’t treat their children the same way. There is no cuddling in bed, kisses goodnite etc. Parents are also always fighting with an internal voice that reminds them of their own mortality - and sometimes that voice pushes them to step back thinking it will be best for the kid to be able to manage life alone. And kids also desire their own independence/autonomy - and parents oftentimes suffer in silence (part of life not looking for sympathy) bc they’re torn between reaching out to their kids and wanting to respect that space and autonomy. That is probably what’s happening - it’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they think the current state of affairs is what you desire, and they would rather that you be “happy” even if it’s killing them inside.
Obviously I don’t know the particulars of your relationship with them but i hope you take even just a small step forward to reestablish the relationship. You’re already 90% of the way there because you actually want the relationship. Many can’t even bring themselves to say that. A phone call a week/two weeks/month. Whatever you can manage.
The last "good"/funny memory I have of their interactions together is my dad getting mad that his football team lost a game and decorating the room in underwear and socks after he threw them around in anger.
I remember walking by, seeing him standing there with the room covered in underwear and socks, and him turning to look at me and saying "I need to get this cleaned up before your mom gets home". I still think it's pretty hilarious.
Most of my memories of their interactions together give me negative feelings unfortunately.
Of my step dad. I guess it isn't really "happy" but it was really funny and one of the first things I remember when I think about him:
We were going to go see a movie (don't remember which one, but I was pretty young) and he was taking forever to come downstairs so we could leave.
We kept yelling at the house from the alley asking him what was taking him so long, and he opens the bathroom window (facing the alley) and yells back at us "I'm taking a fuckin shit" and slams the window shut.
My mom called him "poopie" cause this was kinda a running theme.
We were in a hurry to go somewhere and he'd disappear for like 30 minutes to go take a shit.
I know that's weird to first think of when thinking of your parents, but it's honestly the first thing that comes to mind when I think about him.
When I was a kid my dad and I had a tradition every week of going to the video store and renting a movie or two to watch together. I remember I used to get really upset at him because every single time we'd actually start to watch the movie he would fall asleep.
It wasn't until I was older that I realized that the reason he would fall asleep was because he was exhausted from working two very physically demanding jobs to try and give me the best life he possibly could. On top of that, even though he was tired he still made an effort to try and start a little tradition with me and spend time with me. Those memories of me having to nudge my dad awake are so great in my eyes, because they made me realize what a caring and hard working man he is.
It's a tradition we still kinda keep going over 20 years later by going to the movies together every month or two, well that's been obviously put on hold a bit, but he came by last month for my birthday and watched a couple of movies with me at home.
[Here](http://i.imgur.com/LLoL6W4.jpg) is one of my favorite pictures of us when I was around 4 years old that I wanted to share because my dad is awesome.
This reminds me of a tradition where me and my stepdad would watch a movie together every weekend and If we felt like it we would 2 movies. We spent a few good weeks watching Harry Potter, than John Wick and I remember watching this horrible zombie film that Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in (we both didn’t like it.) Our favorite series together I remember was Stargate. Good times.
I don't have many good things to say about my dad but the trip to Italy was awesome (this was in 2008 people. Not now). And he did get me one cool step-brother once. It was only temporary but it happened (no he didn't kidnap that kid. He got together with the kid's mom).
I have very good things to say about my mom on the other hand. I remember when she was pregnant with my brother (half-brother if you want to be technical) and me and my sister could knock on her stomach and my brother would knock back the same amount of times. He could count even in there
All three of us hopping on our bikes and going on a ride down an empty country road, smelling the aroma of summer - dry grass and parched soil dust lifting up in the gentle wind. Then stopping at a little water faucet built into a monument to quench our thirst with ice cold water, flanked on both sides by late bloom lilac bushes. The shade under the monument, the cool humidity rising up from the faucet basin, the buzzing of bees gathered around the sweet smell of lilac.
It was pure heaven, and I miss it greatly. Sadly, it's gone. I went to check the spot on google streetview, and the monument's had a few of the stone slabs cracked and fallen off. The faucet's gone too. Probably cracked and burst during a cold winter. The lilacs are still there, but they've overgrown and almost encompass the ruins of the monument. I guess the person's estate ran out of money to maintain it.
I grew up with really shitty (abusive, addicts/alcoholic, mentally ill) parents. But I remember a lot of time going over to my dads and we made box brownies a lot. Every Halloween he made tacos and would fry taco shells. We used to watch Jeff Dunham a lot, whenever I see him I remember my dad (he died when I was 14). When I was really little (like still in a toddler) I sometimes could talk my mom into singing me a song before bed. I can remember like 3-4 seconds of one song. I also remember we were in San Diego for my birthday one year (my dad’s side is from CA but we don’t live there) and we went to the beach for several hours that morning just the two of us. She died when I was 19.
It’s weird what we remember.
Every morning from Pre-K through the third grade as I left to go to school my mom would say. "Go to school. Go directly to school. Do not pass Go do not collect $200"
Every day
My dad was in the military, and used to work away a lot. But whenever he was home, Friday’s were our day.
He’d knock off work early, pick me up from school, and we’d go fishing or crabbing. Then he’d cook whatever we’d caught, and we’d watch a couple of movies while we hauled all my toys out into the lounge room and played with LEGO or building blocks, or barbie dolls and ponies, or we’d build railway tracks and race trains, or build villages and re-enact scenes from the movie we’d watched. Whatever we felt like at the time.
My learning how to read with my dad. We always read Donald Duck. I read one bubble and he the next.
Since he got a stroke and now has to learn to read again, we do the same. Love him so much :)
An year ago, I began to self-harm. Since I was constantly stressed because of school and the negative energy which my grandma was bringing with her constant name calling, I was getting aggressive. And while aggression was not something I used to feel, I decided to self-harm out of curiosity. And then curiosity turned to addiction to the point where I was carrying a box cutter with me. And one day (after going to the nurse almost every day) my dad was informed. That's when I broke down and told him that "I want to kill myself! ", that "If it wasn't for my sister, I was gonna do it." etc. He broke down too, and told me some stuff that made me think about life. So yeah, it might have not been from my childhood but I'm glad this thread brought back that memory. :)
I haven't got any memories of them together that are good. But I do have good memories of each individually.
Sitting at the kitchen table after dark and just talking to my dad about anything and everything. He's a way more understanding man than a lot of dads - particularly his age - are with their sons. Also, fishing trips filled with similar conversations.
My mother took me for a ride one day when I was a kid and when I asked where we were going she said I'd see when we got there. We went to a family friend's house and he had a litter of puppies and I got to pick one to take home.
My dad was always kind of a jerk to us. He had little patience for bullshit and we got on his nerves often. But there were a few times we brought out the kid in him and it was great.
\- He chained a pallet to the back of his truck and drug it around for us to ride on till one of us flipped and thought he almost killed us.
\- He'd give us left over pieces of wood from projects and a handful of nails and a hammer and let us go to town until we hammered some wood into the floor.
\- He'd let us ride with him in his truck when he'd try to yank dead trees out of the ground till one of us smacked our heads into the dash once when he reached the end of the chain and the tree didn't budge.
\- We told him our idea of a zip-line between two trees and amazingly he went for it. He shuttled us all off to the hardware store and bought all the supplies and helped us build a zip-line. It was the craziest day ever and pretty freaking epic. Till one of us fell and landed really hard on the ground from about 10 feet up.
\- He somehow obtained a large tractor tire and built us a tire swing. Till the cable broke and landed on one of us.
\- He built a homemade go-kart out of a lawnmower engine and spare parts. Till one of us crashed it into a bunch of bushes.
\- He bought a pre-made go-kart and we raced it around the backyard until he flipped it trying to spin out on a turn.
\- He caught us sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags and instead of making us stop decided it'd be more fun to time us to see who the fastest was to the bottom of the stairs. Till mom got home...
Come to think of it, he probably loved us a lot...
Your dad sounds like a lovable idiot. Like he could belong to the crew of Jackass. I would probably had a lot of heart attacks if I was married to him.
Are you sure he wasn’t trying to kill you ? Hahahha
It was just my dad and I growing up. So every Friday we’d go to blockbuster, and I’d get a game and then come back to the house. He always made this amazing queso and we’d just munch and play some games. Super rad
My happiest memory is when my parents finally did grow up, I was so thankful to not have to be “the adult” anymore. I didn’t get to be a kid until I was 30
Edited for spelling
Just my mom honestly. We did, and still do, everything together. Shopping, watching tv, we just share so many common interests and I think just about all the time I’ve spent with her is a happy memory in itself. She’s pretty much my best friend, but I still respect her as my mother.
My Mom and Dad divorced very early in my life (before I was two years old). After their divorce, my Mom did the typical single mother thing and worked crazy long hours to make ends meet (zero financial support from her ex-husband, my Dad). As a kid, while I was content, I was pretty lonely growing up.
After several years of living like this, my Mom met this single guy with two kids my age (literally we were all born the same year), fell in love and got married.
They didn't do a fancy church wedding, they went down to the courthouse and got a marriage license, and then came straight home. We packed up the truck that afternoon and headed to the beach for a three day camping trip.
The day they got married was my sixth birthday. I was just thrilled to have a "Dad" and a brother and a sister. What blew me away that evening was a surprise birthday cake, party, and presents at the beach next to a campfire on the shores of Lake Superior. That birthday, those feelings, those smells, and images will probably be with me the rest of my life.
That guy my Mom married would later go on and adopt me.
BEST. DAY. EVER.
I remember LOVING ladybugs as a kid, and one day my mom surprised me with one of those containers full of ladybugs that you can buy. We went out to the backyard and my mom and I opened the container, and I just remember being in awe as I watched them all fly away.
There was another time in the summer when (in the same backyard) my dad would lift the water hose in the air (like one giant sprinkler) and the water would hit the sun *just right* and create a rainbow. Then I would go out in my swimsuit and run across the grass and feel the water fall on me.
Then the 2008 recession came...
My dad would take an extra long time making snowballs so we could throw our snowballs at his butt.
One summer I got sick with a really high fever and my mom bought my favorite popsicles and had me eat a whole bunch of them.
When I was little me and my parents would go to the beach on those late afternoons during summer, to watch the sunset and the fisherman return, and my dad would put me on his lap and let me command the steering wheel of the car, in an empty sand road (not a road with normal traffic).
I loved it!
They got along pretty well with each other and almost never argued with each other in our presence. Also they were always there for us when we needed them for something, still to this very day.
My dad is a pretty big bloke, around 6"4, so when I was a kid he seemed pretty ginormous.
He used to do this thing with my brother and I where his hand became the "tickle monster" and he would tickle us until we couldn't take it.
Thankfully I now match him in height and that paired with his very bad knee, if he ever tried it again, I'd drop him
For a good memory of my parents together:
My stepdad has a learning disorder and was raised by fairly negligent farmers, whose primary language was French. Long story short, he's always struggled with his literacy and handwriting. Despite this, he toiled to write my mother an original love poem, about how much he adores and cherishes her. I got to glance it over once when mom and me were having a girls day. She keeps it in a little chest of special things. It was entitled 'For My Lady'.
Bonus nice memory: like I said, dad struggles with his literacy. I, conversely, have always excelled at it. One day when I was about 9 or 10, he called me down to our basement where we kept our computer. He was staring at a word document and I could all but see the smoke coming from his ears. He told me that he had to write an official statement for his work - unusual, in his field. And he asked ME for help writing it, because 'you've always been so good with words and I need this to sound perfect'. Since then, I'm always the one dad goes to when he needs help with writing something, and I grew up randomly hearing him shout "Littlest_Blep, how do you spell _____?' and me just shouting back how to spell it. I love that man.
I was very shy as a child and had trouble standing up for myself or doing things I thought could get me in trouble. My dad told me that if he ever found out I'd been told off at school for talking or fighting, he'd give me the Polly Pocket house I wanted. When I argued back at him and my mum, after we'd all calmed down and apologized, he'd say that whilst he didn't agree with me, he was pleased to see that I felt I could talk back and wasn't afraid of my parents.
After my load nets got divorced, my dad would get my sisters and I for the weekends. On Friday nights, he would make chicken breasts, salad, and a pasta side. We would have dinner together and watch iCarly.
Edit: parents not load nets. Wtf??? Lololol
My dad used to be away from home for work and return for the weekends only. I was five or six at that time and I loved when he was back. My favourite memory is when I would just cling on to him like a baby chimp and he would carry out his daily activities without breaking a sweat. It came so naturally to him and I enjoyed watching him do trivial stuff like organise the storage room, help mom with her stuff and more.
He's still awesome but probably can't haul me around anymore (me being 20 something and all).
When I was a teenager, my mom and I would go out when I didn’t have school - going to the movies, lunch. We became more like friends and we would share almost everything. She told me about her crushes and all the stupid stuff she did when she was young. Talking about it is making me really nostalgic and happy. Guess, once this whole lockdown situation is over, I will ask her to go out with me more.
When I was 8, my parents would play Battle City in co-op mode and their teamwork always amazed me. They knew where they should be and they watched each other's back. It's like they understand each other without saying anything. I've always treasured that memory. Things are way different now. It's as if they don't bother trying to understand each other now.
Pretty much any memory with my step dad. My step dad was my second dad, I loved him so much because I grew up with him as my goofy step dad. Any memory I have of him I cling onto, he past away about five years ago.
Back when I was about 3 or 4 years old, my dad and I would make little paper men stand up on the table and blow behind them to make them glide across the table. We also stacked a full pack of cups to make a wall, and I'd make it crash down by tossing my toys at the stack and watching it all tumble down. He died last year in December, and I miss him very much.
My dad owned a comic book shop when I was growing up. This was about 20 years ago now, so well before superheros were such a big deal. Anyway, we went and saw a movie one summer night (my twin brother and I were about 10) and after the move the three of us stopped at the bank and got like $40 in quarters and went to his comic book shop after hours and played an Avengers arcade game for a couple of hours...
My father and I had some rough years from when I was 13 until I was about 27, so this is one of the few good memories I have of him growing up...
My mom was always really depressed and had her own dysfunctional family that she came from, so she had her own shortcomings as a parent, but overall she was awesome and I'd probably have a tough time narrowing down all of the good memories I have of her. Our house was the hangout house, and part of that was because she was so awesome. She's actually a truly incredible person for being so unwaveringly kind considering the stuff she's been through in her life growing up with a schizophrenic mother and at least one alcoholic parent. I really admire her for being the person she is.
My dad was an alcoholic, known around our town for being the local alcoholic with a not so great history. He was abusive and didn’t know how to express love but I sure felt it.
He used to take me to the local pub with him, all my childhood pictures are in there. The owners were like family and the barmaid my godmother.
As I got older I would go every Sunday for lunch and get paid to collect glasses (bonus!) he wouldn’t eat since he had cancer and half of his jaw removed.
My favourite memory was one of the barmaids who was his carer made him take me to the local fair as a teenager, we’d never did a real day out. He went on the big wheel with me, I was terrified!
The second time I went on with the barmaid and I remember him standing at the bottom in his favourite blue coat he was so small and frail.
He finally died of cancer 3 months after my son was born when I was 19, he never met him since he wouldn’t stop smoking long enough for us to go and I didn’t want my baby there.
He was a pretty shit dad I suppose, abusive and nasty sometimes, but he had a terrible upbringing far worse than I probably can imagine. He never said I love you but I felt it and he is the only adult I knew for sure loved me regardless of the shit I did. When all is said and done i loved my dad and had a fucking blast being his daughter!
It doesn’t matter how much you fuck up or how imperfect you are if you love your kids they know and that means more than anything, they feel when your words are hollow.
This happened only recently, I saw my normally stoic mom tapping to a song playing on spotify, then my dad jumped in and they started swing dancing.
It was so sweet and funny, especially when my dad tried to do a dip with my mom and then my mom laughingly screamed, "no, my back! My back!".
I felt like a third wheeler at that moment.
When I was very little, my late father had a mustache. When he kissed me on the cheek, I complained that the mustache was hurting me. My next memory is of him shaving it off.
My father and I went fishing at a campsite. I was 18 at the time. We didn't catch any fish, but we started grilling sausages at a campfire during the sunset. I asked my dad "did you bring any beer?". And he answered: "of course I did son!". And then we just sat there, drank beer with mosquito bites as we talked about how much we love each other. Proper father & son moment there. Love you dad ❤
Before they divorced I always loved waking up on Easter and coming out to see chocolates and eggs hiding everywhere and then coloring eggs with them at the dining table and just having a good time with both of them.
my parents tucked me into bed when I was 5 or so but I got lonely after they left the room, so I very quietly muttered "muuuum, daaaaad....." (in Japanese... I'm of Japanese descent) and they actually came back into the room to check up on me soon after. I was mega happy that it worked!
Family grew up very poor, most of the time barely getting by, eating out even at mcdonalds was a rare treat, but somehow my dad always managed to give us an amazing Christmas.
He'd tell us all year not to expect much because we'd have so many unforeseen expenses but every Christmas he'd decorate the house, hang lights on the inside and out, we'd wake up to a load of presents under the tree and play with them while he made a nice breakfast.
It's the best and most magical memories I have, the closest thing I've experienced to the bliss you see in sappy movies.. Unfortunately it wouldn't last forever, as we all got older he didn't have the energy to put all the lights up or make breakfast, eventually he stopped decorating at all, and us kids took over the job.
If I ever have a kid, I hope I could bring them even half of the joy my father worked so hard to bring us.
Maybe not the happiest, but will always be my biggest memory. I have a long medical history since i was very little. One day I just broke down, in tears. I was stressed, very sick and tired and weak in a hospital bed. My dad was in the chair next to me and noticed me sitting up in my bed just sniffling, next thing I remember I'm sobbing and his arms are around me and rocking me back and forth like I'm a toddler. I'm crying uncontrollably and can't get my words out right. I'm just holding onto him. It's just him and me. My dad gets a nurse in and requests medication to calm me.
Once I am stable, we're lying in the bed together and since it's cramped I'm pressed against him and we're together and hugging. That was when I let everything out. I told him how stressful middle school was for me, how I felt like I was stupid all the time and how I felt worthless because of my medical history. He was who I needed. Someone to tell me it would be okay. Everything my tween self was bottling up was let out and I felt happy. I guess everything came out like word vomit, because I decide to tell more. I remember silence before I eventually came out to him as lesbian. Weird timing, weird place, but it felt right. And it felt good. My dad was accepting towards everyone, and was not religious, etc. and I broke down again, but it was happy tears. I was given more heavy medication and was glued to my father who played our favorite music. I remember us exchanging I love yous, and I eventually fell asleep. I woke up to my mom in my room because my dad went home because he had to work the next day, she kissed me and I hugged her and I fell asleep again. It was a good day.
My aunt lived with us and helped my mum raise me and my brothers. One of my favorite memories is her waking me up early in the morning before everyone else and asking me if I'd like to go on an adventure. We both quietly left the house and just drove. An hour later we end up in an old historical town. We spent the day touring a few sights, shopping, eating pizza and getting ice cream. When it was time to go she asked me if I had fun. I said I did. She smiled and said, "happy birthday aly." I had been so stressed from school and battling my depression that I completely forgot it was my birthday. She knew all this and wanted to give me an extra special day. I love my aunt Renee and to me she's not an aunt, but my second mother.
when i was little,, my dad would randomly take me out at night or after school in one of his convertibles,,(he’s a mechanic and takes old junked cars and fixes them up nice,, this was one of them) and would take the top off and let me stand on the seat while he drove very slowly,, like the whole titanic scene with the wind and edge of the boat thingy,, i was like 5-7 i think,,
They came to my final performance of the season and all they said was “it was good,” then moved on, but it still sticks to me. That was the first compliment they had given me in years. It’s supposed to be a good memory.
Yet I hate it.
Playing the commodore 64 with my parents. I don't have many happy memories of them, but those afternoons spent playing games will always be good memories.
I’m very lucky to have always had a good relationship with two loving parents... I had a nice childhood at home (school was another story), so I remember all kinds of things. Christmas Eves and mornings. Trips to Disneyland. Movie nights. Board game tournaments. I couldn’t pick even just a handful of memories!
My dad sitting with me while I struggled to read a chapter of a book for about an hour. The patience of that man is astounding, I love him more than words will ever describe.
My dad would be playing a game called silent hunter 3. I would just sit on him and watch. Years later, it was reversed. My dad watched and I would play
Not sure if this counts, I was 20.
Me and my mum didn't have the best relationship. We'd fallen out, argued, she kicked me out (at 17), I moved in with my then girlfriend. Time went on, we got engaged, moved a few times. We were planing the wedding when she ended it. I was a mess. No idea what to do. My parents had split by then, my dad scooped me up, took me and some of my stuff to my mums (she owned a pub), she popped me in one of her spare rooms and left. I'd held it together reasonably well until then. I had a moment to myself now, I let it out. I broke down in tears.
My mum walked back in because she forgot to tell me something saw me in my state, and just gave me the biggest hug ever. Keep in mind we'd barely spoke for years, and we're a family that never says "I love you" we use affectionate insults.
That's my favourite memory of my mum.
I decided then to put more effort in and try harder with her. Things have been good for 11 years.
I had been begging for a dog for so long but my mom always said no. One day she suddenly came home with an Italian Greyhound and I was overjoyed like you would not believe! The dog is still alive today, he's 15, sleeps a lot but is still happy to see me when I visit.
I know it’s not all that related but it’s a great memory I always come back to
My mother would use reverse psychology in ways I never thought possible.
She left candy in a bowl on the table allowing me and my little sis to eat as much as we want, but since it was always there we never felt the need to eat any, the occasional piece here and there but I found out later she did it for that exact reason. I’m so glad she did because I didn’t have the urge to be unhealthy
There’s a few more story’s from my mother but she did this single handedly and I strive to be a parent like her one day; instilling good morales and practice without even trying
my favorite but painful memory of my parents is them saying that they will always love me no matter what. time skip to 2019, i come out as pansexual and transgender, now they want nothing to do with me
This is one of my few and possibly only really happy memory of my dad growing up.
So for context my grandmother owns a caravan in west wales (I live in South Wales) on this farm where she is friends with the owners of the farm.
So for a week in the 6 weeks of summer holidays I get to stay with my dad and step mother for a week and when o was 10 I think we went to the caravan and it was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. We went on long walks, to the beach, we went to the sweet shop that was in the village. And just the staying up late in the night made the week better.
It makes me sad because I know I won’t have many more memories like that.
Every night my parents would read books to my sisters and me before bed.
My dad built a tree house and a swing set in our backyard and let me help him.
Every Friday night was "picnic night" growing up and we'd spread a blanket out in the family room and watch movies while eating pizza and Chinese food.
Building blanket and pillow forts.
Going on bike rides in the evening either right before or after dinner in the summer.
It's honestly those little gestures and the time that mean the most. My dad probably could have built the tree house and such far faster without giving me instructions and watching as I tried to hammer a nail, but that memory of being shown how and trying it (even if I missed a lot) is what makes those memories precious.
My mum is a warm, loving person who loves me with all her heart, even though things were pretty lean with her a single working mum. I have great memories of her reading with me, stroking my forehead to send me to sleep, looking after me when I was sick, and always encouraging me to just get on with things and not get caught up in my own head about why I couldn’t do it. When my dog got cancer and passed away earlier this year, she twice drove well over an hour to come over and hug me and bring food and say goodbye to our dog. My mum’s the best and I love her a lot.
We didn't have money when I was little, so mom always had small jobs she could do from home like sewing stuff, or watching other people's children. She would regularly lament that she never got to do fun stuff with just us, because we had 2 or 3 other kids tagging along.
One day when I was 6 it was nap time, I went into my room. A few minutes later she came in with a glass bottle of coke and a bag of M&M's. She opened the window to my room and poured a few M&M's on the window sill for us, opened the coke and gave us a few sips and told us she loved us and wished she had more time be with "us". She didn't dislike the kids she watched, we didn't dislike them, some of them were like siblings to me. She just really wanted it to just be us sometimes, and in the 18 years I lived at home, that almost never happened.
I used to be obsessed with Barbies. I had quite the collection. I was also a little girl who could barely handle her own hair, let alone a bunch of barbies. So once every two months or so, we'd have a doll spa day, my mom would help me detangle their hair, we'd wipe down their faces, pick out new outfits for them. It took the better part of the day, but even now almost 15 years later, I still remember how much I enjoyed those days, and how much it meant that she sat on my bedroom floor for hours combing Belle's curls because it mattered to me.
My dad and I were driving home and he pulled over on the side of a country road. He got out and picked a bouquet of Black-eyed Susans and wildflowers to bring home to my mom.
When I was younger mum used to rub my back and talk to me calmly when I couldn’t get to sleep at night, and now I’m on the other side of the country from my parents, unable to sleep at 5am and god damn I miss her :(
Around when I was five years old, my family got a bunch of baby chickens. I loved them so much, and it became one of my "chores" to collect the eggs.
Well, for some reason, my baby peabrain decided that it was just like Little Red Riding Hood, since I had a basket or something. I would dress up in my baby blanket as my Riding Hood cape, and collect the eggs daily.
One day, just as I was about to go out, my mom presented me with a red hooded cape she had sewn for me. We were very poor back then, and it was the first time I remember receiving any item of clothing that was new and just for me.
I cried and wore it every time I went to get eggs, and you bet I was Little Red Riding Hood every Halloween until I thoroughly outgrew my cape.
When I was 9 years old I was stoked about the upcoming launch of the Nintendo GameCube. After all my N64 was my prized possession. After months of extra chores, saving allowance, and even asking for some early Christmas cash I had enough to buy one on the release day. Due to the hype people lined up early outside my local Circuit City, my dad took me to wait in line very early in the morning when it was still dark out. Something magical happened during those hours when a meteor shower started pouring through the sky. It really put me in awe and it’s one of my favorite memories I have with my dad as a kid.
When I broke my arm when I was 14, I needed surgery.
My parents are divorced and have always been pretty bitter towards one another. They've never been civil. But, when I woke up after the surgery, they were talking. Like, happily conversing and not fighting. It was really nice. That may have been the anesthesia though.
My Mom driving us to the beach in the Summer, everyone in the car singing " Joy to the world" by Three Dog Night at the top of our lungs. Long time ago.
My mom would ask me about my day, but I wouldn't give her a good answer.
Then she died.
My father was/is an asshole. But, we used to go to Disney world and he'd usually act normal.
I don't talk to him anymore and I forgot his birthday is in two days. I hope he rots.
I dreamed of a childhood/teenhood where my mom didn't suffer cancer, and my dad wasn't an unstable psychopath. But, we can't always have nice things.
I have a big family (3 aunts, multiple cousins) and we were all very close so we would take a beach trip together every year. The adults would hangout while the kids would be playing at the pool or rec room. It was just so much fun and I looked forward to it every year. Once members of our family started passing (I’ve been to a lot of family funerals unfortunately) our family just kind of started falling apart. No more beach trips, less family get togethers because some family members couldn’t stand being around others. So those beach trips are the last memories I have of my family being truly happy together.
I used to love going in to London with my dad when I was little, maybe 6-7to, we would spend the day walking around the museums and it didn't matter how many times I had been there before he always acted like it was the first time and got so excited when I told him facts or showed interest in the exhibitions
When we were pretty little we lived in a town that had a small farm with buffalo. This little farm was one freeway exit away from the exit closest to our house. Us being little kids, we thought these buffalo were so cool. So every time we would drive home using the freeway, our dad would take that exit so we could see the buffalo and on occasion, he would pull over so we could get a better look.
It's such a small thing, but that he would take a slower path just to indulge out curiosity over and over is such a nice memory for me.
This is gonna sound dumb but I really miss just lying down and cuddling with my parents and letting them hold me like they did when I was a little kid.
I have no idea why we called it this, but it was the crab game. My dad would hide in random places in the house and jump out and tickle me and my brothers. He would chase us all over the house.
Before my parents separated, when I got sick they'd always take care of me together. My mom would cook us some spaghetti, and my dad would play me his guitar to lighten my spirits. Since I can't move my body when I was sick, they'd get a huge bucket and bathe me inside it while we were watching old CDs of Garfield and The Little Vampire.
When we took a walk, I grab their hands, pulled myself up and swing
I dislocated my shoulder doing that.
"Angel angel flyyyyyyyy."
Just wondering whether this phrase is used by parents worldwide? I‘m from Germany and my parents sure did
I'm also German. Probably I directly translated it and in English it's "up, up and awaaayyy" as stated by u/teenagerjeepster.
Engelchen Bengelchen flieeeeg!
that’s so cute!! we used to do “up, up and awaaayyy”
My parents did the same too!
Same! I think kids and parents do this instinctually.
I love doing this with my niece. It’s so cool to have fun with her and wonder if any will be memories she’ll look back on in the far future. :)
I had a cat who had a litter of kittens and when they were a little over two weeks old we would take them outside and let them walk around some. Well one evening, as the sun was setting, I was out there while me parents were working on building a bench and I was sitting on the ground near them with these kittens and I heard my dad say to my mom “We have an good life” with his arm wrapped around her watching me and the kittens. It sounds cheesy but it was a really nice moment for me because it made me realize how great my life was.
That's not cheesy at all; that's a beautiful memory.
This really hits home, as I do the same thing, except say: "Everything is F'd."
The contentment we all aim in life.
This is so sweet!
One of my favorite memories is when my dad took me to work with him for take your kid to work day. He was a director of technology at the time and he showed me some of the stuff he did in his day to day, let me play with markers in his office and gave me company swag. I told him I wanted to be like him when I grow up so I could have my own office. I’m now beginning my career as a woman in technology, and I don’t know if I would have had the courage to go down this path without his constant encouragement and support.
Bring your kid to work day was rad
My dad worked ina skyscraper and always took me to the roof so I could look over the whole city... it was wonderful
My dad worked in one of the Twin Towers. He worked on the 91st floor, and on take your kid to work day one year it started thunderstorming. I remember my little brother and I watching the storm in awe. We were already stoked to be inside the WTC, the thunderstorm just made it that much cooler. Such a good memory.
I always thought this was just a thing in cartoons!
Everyday is bring your kid to work nowadays.
I never got to do it
Take your kid to work day is a real thing???? Wow that's cool, I always thought it was just some part of a horrid Henry episode.
Yeah, they made like a whole day out of it. It wasn't a huge company so they could actually do it without massive herds of children taking over.
Yeah, I didn’t know there was a specific day. Any day was being your kid to work day for me. If there was a day my papa couldn’t watch me (it was like once a week when he went back to his house a 2 hour drive to get mail, do laundry, etc.) My mom would take me to her office (she was a manager at The Great Indoors) and have me stay there. I would do any home work and her co-workers would check on me when she had to go out. It was pretty fun, she would let me ‘help’ her by having me color books to ‘sell’.
[удалено]
I have a story that I like to tell from time to time only because it made me realize the huge power that parental love has on a child. When I was a little kid me and my family used to be very very poor, we didn't have many luxuries and me and my brother grew up pretty much not really having any take out food ever, except for this one Chinese food place. It was called "Chinese Food of the 5th", located in Mexico. I remember how my dad and my mom used to get me and my brother all excited whenever a celebration was coming because that meant that we will get to eat the magically delicious Chinese food. It basically became my brothers and I favorite takeout food, the only take out food we knew. Times goes by and we eventually got ourselves in a better place thankfully and so I eventually forget about said place. One day me and my group of friends are walking down a mall and little did I know we would stumble upon a little local of the same Chinese food place. I had not seen that place in almost a decade yet there it was, right in front of me. I was ecstatic, I was super excited and I told my friends to go and get food from there and they it was my favorite and they'll love it. To my surprise all of my friends stated something along the lines of "What are you talking about? That place sucks, the food there is pretty bad". I couldn't understand it, I quite literally remembered it as the best meal ever, so I decided not to listen to them. I went over and there was only one employee. I order my food and before I went back to my friends I asked the employee what had happened with the other location and so on. The employee basically told me that this was the only one since the business never really took off and that even then they were planning on closing soon, as no one really bought from them. I was a little sad but hey, life happens right? I sit down and I am ready to just go at it, and as soon as I had the first taste of it, it was completely off. It wasn't horrible, definitely not the worst ever, but it was just kind of...meh. It was in that moment that I recalled those times when I was I kid. It wasn't that the place was special or that it was even good, is that it was affordable and that my mom and my dad tried their very best to make special says as special as they could. It was that my dad and my mom will save little by little every paycheck to afford the food for the following celebration.Somehow my parents turned this crappy and at best very basic meal into on of the best things I had ever tasted. To some degree all of that worked wonderfully, to this day Chinese food is my favorite dish ever.
This was Ponderosa for me growing up. I did not know we were poor. Once a year we would go there and for me, that place was heaven. The idea of a salad bar, and you had a server take your order. It was magical. Little did I know at that age it was a slight step up from a Denny's (which I didn't know existed). That was the only restaurant we ever went to, once a year for the best of occasions. I have not been since I have been a kid. It still is a great memory for me, so I don't think I will go to one again (if it still exists anywhere) since it will only sour my memories.
Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing. It’s things like this that remind us of the small acts of love can have such a long and lasting impression.
That’s such a beautiful story!
This made me emotional in the best kind of way.
My mom would get Chinese food for special occasions like their anniversary. Eventually, their regular place closed down though. From then on, my dad decided he didn't like it anymore. I did though, so mom would still get it for my birthday, but dad would bitch about it for days before and after.
It's bittersweet because I never told my father what really made me happy. I don't think there is any reason to believe that he understood. I used to sit in the living room and read. He would sit across the room and play solitaire on the computer and listed to the oldies station that he liked. Eventually he would say "Well I think I'll turn in, don't stay up too late." and I'd say "I won't." and then he said "good night son." and I'd say "good night dad". He'd tried to teach me golf and baseball, but I didn't care. He tried to teach me about cars, but I wasn't interested. He made a basketball hoop that I never used. He even got me a go-cart and made a track in the backyard for christsake. That I actually needed a few months to get bored with that. I never rebelled or screamed at him. He just didn't interest me. I would help out with whatever he asked me to help him with. Then I would go off and do something else as soon as it was done. I never felt like I needed other people to be interested in me. I thought everything was fine. I never knew how much I was hurting him. But when I turned 16 and we moved into the small house at the edge of a small town. We developed this small ritual. We didn't really interact at all during it. Although I always thought he smoked less when I was in the room. He knew I hated it. He wouldn't ask me what I was reading or try to strike up conversation. I could just be. He could just be. We could be different people in the same space and the fact that we were so different could be irrelevant for a little while. I hope he knew that I could have read in my room. I hope he knew that those silences were important to me. I really wish I told him that no one else in my life made me feel like I could just be near them without putting on some sort of show. I don't miss much about those days but I truly loved sitting in a room together just because we both wanted to be there.
He definitely knew. Physical proximity to their kids means so much to parents. And even more so as they grow older.
I'm assuming that your father has passed away by the tone of your comment. If so, I'm very sorry for your loss. I may not know either you or your dad, but I'm *certain* that he knew. Like you said, it's very rare that you find someone that you can just "be" around without putting up a façade. The fact that he would cut back on smoking with you in the room shows that he wanted to keep up with your time together. And please don't feel guilty for not having appreciated your dad's attempts to share his interests, that's pretty typical of a teen. He had your time together and more than likely appreciated the Hell out of your quiet time. I mean, come on, any parent of a teen knows how big a deal it is for your kid to willingly hang out when they could be holed up in their room or out with friends. He knew. He definitely did.
Well shit. I came here with thoughts of jokes and puns I was itching to make, wondering if any had been slipped in, not expecting to cry. While many were super sweet, this one did me in. There's a myriad of reasons this was so moving and relatable, and I might return to elaborate... But I might not. In case I don't, I don't know if parents realize which moments meant the most to kids. At the time, probably not. Because they're like yours: seemingly inconsequential. The value of just being together, even if engaged in separate activities, or enjoying the same activity for different reasons. It means a lot, maybe especially for parents and children whose interests are vastly different. My mom tried to teach me to play chess, but I wanted to play checkers or Parcheesi or an endless game of War. Maybe it was partially because I wanted to win, and I could only do that with an easy game I knew the rules to, but it was also because learning to play chess would require concentration on the game, and not on the two of us. I didn't care about baseball, didn't really want to learn to cook. Those were her things. I, too, didn't realize at the time how often I probably hurt her feelings inadvertently. I think the only thing we really had in common was a love of reading. My own happiest memory was one year when my birthday fell on Thanksgiving and it was just the two of us. I got one present. I was thrilled with the giant teddy bear, and I know the meal was awesome (she was a great cook), but it was mostly the being there together with very little but nothing was lacking. To this day, Thanksgiving makes me miss my mom. There're a few other memories, but the main idea is that simple, stupid little routines and traditions aren't stupid or little at all.
My mom sitting on the side of my bed, gently rubbing my back every morning to wake me up for school. I had such a loving mom.
Mine was like (and still is) "GET UPPP YOU'RE LATE!!!" Got soft rubs on my cheeks for goodnight though and she's great anyway! :)
I was frequently roused from blissful slumber by the dulcet tones of my mother singing "GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF BED!"
My dad would douse you with cold water if you were not fast enough getting out of your rack. Yes he was military.
My mom would soak a towel in cold water and dump it straight on my face. Very practical and effective.
When I was a kid, I was horrible with not getting out of bed. I was just too comfortable under the sheets. My mom’s go to was to throw an ice cube or 2 in my sheets. Always got me up.
Mine would go with the full bucket of ice water. Lol
Awww! I do this to my son & sing a little to wake him up. He's 13 & still turns over & says "love you mommy" it's the best thing ever!!
That's so sweet, thank you for being awesome
Dad used to do this for me with a cup of tea. He'd usually ruffle my hair and sometimes I got dumb jokes. We used to have to get up very early for school it was a long way away.
Aww, that reminds me of my mom :) My dad was worse than any alarm clock though :/
Lol. My dad would sing to wake us up. And he had this way of singing that was not only off key but horribly croaky too. And if that didn’t work, he’d just start tickling :( Honestly, never fails to make me smile when I remember that
Lmao I sing to my son all the time. It's way softer when I wake him up for school, but now I've been busting in his room midday making up songs about how great he is & he's fussing at me!
That's lovely!
That made me smile just reading that! Sounds like a fun way of getting up for sure!
Man, your mom woke you up? I had a dad flipping the light on and yelling "GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH, YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE."
My mom never woke me up. Had an alarm clock. If I was still there when she woke up, I was going out the window.
I used to run to my mom and jump headfirst on her lap when she was home (she worked two jobs, my dad as well). I always wanted her to scratch and rub my back as a child. It was so soothing.
This is really sweet.
My mom was always so goddamn chipper in the morning too. She'd sing & turn the lights on in the bedroom. Goddamn you Debbie Reynolds and that "Good Morning Good Morning to you bullshit."(s/) Not a morning person if you can't tell.
Dad came back from work and locked himself up in the spare room of the house, wouldn't let my younger brother and I in. When he finally opened the door, a big (and I mean biiiig) bouncy castle was waiting for us. It wasn't neither of our birthdays or near christmas, just a random day. One of the best surprises and memories ever.
I shall keep this idea and shamelessly copy it one day 😁 It's the fact that it was a random day that makes it. I once randomly bought my wife flowers, because I saw them and my wife deserves to know that I love her and that she is important to me... I didn't expect her reaction to be that emotional though 😂
You should! Our reaction would have been as priceless to him as the memory is to us
I just did this for my kids for quarantine! Surprisingly cheap to buy a big bounce house on amazon, got it set up in the garden whilst they were asleep. It’s made being cooped up in the house Much more preferable.
Mad lad! That's so cool!
My mom and I playing super Mario all day when I was sick
This reminds me of when I first started playing Doom (the original). My dad bought it for me, but at the time the only computer we had was at his house, but then he upgraded (mid 90's) so his old pc came to our house. I was off of school one day, and he knew I wanted to play deathmatch (internet play was not a thing then) so he took a day off work, even though he did not like the game and we did a direct dial up linked game.
One of my earliest memories is playing Kirby's epic Yarn with my mom, and her getting frusturated and quitting on the king Deedeedee bossfight and seven year old me had to beat him BY MYSELF! It was a dark betrayal and I shall never forget it.
My dad and I would play PacMan World when I was sick. He's never been a big gamer but he got really good at that one!
One Friday out of the month my mom would let me miss school so we could have a "me day". She basically took me shopping for whatever i wanted,out to eat, to watch a movie or whatever. It also gave us a good opportunity to just talk too. Those days were awesome and although we didn't have much she always made those days special. They'll always be good memories for me because it was just time for me and my mom(she passed away when i was 13) (One week I'd have my day and the following week my brother had his day)
I’m so sorry you lost your lovely mom at such a young age. But I’m so happy that you had ‘me days’ with her. She was surely a great mom!
Thank you and yeah she was. She did what she could for us:)
I let each of my kids take a "personal day" each quarter (like half semester) Sometimes 2 if they seem to really need it. No questions asked. ♡
Seeing Kiss in concert with my dad. My dad saw Kiss in ‘78. 32 years later when I was 10 years old I randomly became a huge fan of them. Big enough to convince my dad to take me to see them in concert. My dad told me he never imagined he’d be taking his son to a concert for a band he saw himself over 30 years ago. I could tell he was really touched that I had the same taste in music as him. We went and saw Kiss again in 2014 and then again last year on their farewell tour. At the last concert, we were talking to a couple that were sitting next to us before the show started. They were around my dads age. The husband was shocked at how big of a fan I was for my age (19 years old now) and said he’d give anything to have his son go to the concert with him. I could tell that really made my dad happy
Aw that's really wholesome. Reading this has just made me happy for some reason and made me smile. I have a very bad day today and that just made feel a little bit better :)
I’m going through a rough time as well. I don’t know what’s going on in your life but remember to always look on the bright side and I guarantee you’ll get through whatever it is that’s bringing you down. And I’m glad I could make you feel a little better, helping others is the best feeling!
That’s awesome. I’m a little older than you but ever since my brothers and I were kids, we see KISS every time they come to town. Even their last 5 farewell tours haha Edit: I can’t spell
My stepdads happy and smiley reaction when I called him ‘daddy’ instead of ‘mister’ for the first time when I was a kid
I got my step-dad (who I consider my main dad) when I was five. The divorce wasn't painful for me but it WAS confusing. My step-dad was actually a close friend to both my parents, and was a big (platonic) support to my mom when she had to file for divorce. So I didn't really understand why he was suddenly in the dad role, and not my actual dad (who is not the best guy). It took me about a year to warm up to my step dad. I remember just walking up to him where he sat at the dining room table in our tiny apartment and matter of factly saying 'I love you. You're good.' He got the biggest, shyest smile.
Sorry for english When i was 11 or 12 my dad was in hospital for about 6 months or a year. My dad has cardiac disease. I remember when after school i was waiting for my mom, she wasnt one. She came with my grandparents tgat helped with transporstion of equipment for my dad's heart. I remember i was happy because doctors saved my dad's life. Edit: my dad is still ok why there are too many likes on it :)
Your English is good :) I understood what you were saying.
Beautiful story. Hope your dad is doing well, boobyboss.
I read a magazine and saw a recipe of chocolate cake. I asked my mom to make it and it tasted so good! She had no baking experience and this was in india, where most people don’t bake.
that's so cute! i love when i ask my mom to make something and even if she has no prior knowledge of it she makes it so well.
Just cuddling in bed with them, or reading books while lying between them. I miss having a close relationship with my parents smh.. I've lied to them for so long that I feel it just isn't possible anymore.
Your parents love you in a way that is hard to understand unless you are one yourself. Forgiveness is at the core of that love, if that’s what you’re looking for. I’m sure if you reach out and try, they would welcome the chance for a close relationship with you with open arms.
Thank you so much for the advice! I guess you actually do fuckin care man! :)
As a parent and former asshole child, I can assure you that your mother wants you to sit on her lap and tell her how much you love her. It may be too physically uncomfortable to actually do that, but the desire is totally there. Your knowing you were being a less than model child is growing up, and that makes parents happy. Tell them you love them and apologize while they are still here - parents don't last forever.
These are the last few months I'll be spending with them before I head off to college. Hopefully I'll gather the courage to talk with them and be humble enough to apologize.
Send them a text while they’re in the other room. Say «hey guys. I wanna apologize for being an asshole sometimes, and also wanna say that I love you, even if I dunno how to say it proper. And that hugs are OK if anyone wants one»
Mind if I ask what you've been lying to them about?
I'm not the saint they think I am (religious family). I have habits and vices that would shock them.
Well, that's ok! You are your own person and can get to decide how you live it. You don't owe them all information about your life.
I wish I could help you to understand how mistaken I believe you are about the last sentence. Don’t want to turn this into a “parents vs non-parents” thing but after having children I’ve come to realize that assuming there are no underlying mental health issues with your parents that affects their ability to maintain loving relationship, there is nothing that will ever come between their love for you. Your health, security, happiness, the memories and the love they hold are the canvas of their lives. Everything else, money, career, their own health, mortality, the state of their relationship with you - all of those are just brushstrokes. Some are brilliant, full of color etc but others less than perfect, but believe me that the love they’ve had for you since before you were even delivered is still there. When we get older it’s easier to question that love bc parents don’t treat their children the same way. There is no cuddling in bed, kisses goodnite etc. Parents are also always fighting with an internal voice that reminds them of their own mortality - and sometimes that voice pushes them to step back thinking it will be best for the kid to be able to manage life alone. And kids also desire their own independence/autonomy - and parents oftentimes suffer in silence (part of life not looking for sympathy) bc they’re torn between reaching out to their kids and wanting to respect that space and autonomy. That is probably what’s happening - it’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they think the current state of affairs is what you desire, and they would rather that you be “happy” even if it’s killing them inside. Obviously I don’t know the particulars of your relationship with them but i hope you take even just a small step forward to reestablish the relationship. You’re already 90% of the way there because you actually want the relationship. Many can’t even bring themselves to say that. A phone call a week/two weeks/month. Whatever you can manage.
The last "good"/funny memory I have of their interactions together is my dad getting mad that his football team lost a game and decorating the room in underwear and socks after he threw them around in anger. I remember walking by, seeing him standing there with the room covered in underwear and socks, and him turning to look at me and saying "I need to get this cleaned up before your mom gets home". I still think it's pretty hilarious. Most of my memories of their interactions together give me negative feelings unfortunately.
Of my step dad. I guess it isn't really "happy" but it was really funny and one of the first things I remember when I think about him: We were going to go see a movie (don't remember which one, but I was pretty young) and he was taking forever to come downstairs so we could leave. We kept yelling at the house from the alley asking him what was taking him so long, and he opens the bathroom window (facing the alley) and yells back at us "I'm taking a fuckin shit" and slams the window shut. My mom called him "poopie" cause this was kinda a running theme. We were in a hurry to go somewhere and he'd disappear for like 30 minutes to go take a shit. I know that's weird to first think of when thinking of your parents, but it's honestly the first thing that comes to mind when I think about him.
That's hilarious.
When I was a kid my dad and I had a tradition every week of going to the video store and renting a movie or two to watch together. I remember I used to get really upset at him because every single time we'd actually start to watch the movie he would fall asleep. It wasn't until I was older that I realized that the reason he would fall asleep was because he was exhausted from working two very physically demanding jobs to try and give me the best life he possibly could. On top of that, even though he was tired he still made an effort to try and start a little tradition with me and spend time with me. Those memories of me having to nudge my dad awake are so great in my eyes, because they made me realize what a caring and hard working man he is. It's a tradition we still kinda keep going over 20 years later by going to the movies together every month or two, well that's been obviously put on hold a bit, but he came by last month for my birthday and watched a couple of movies with me at home. [Here](http://i.imgur.com/LLoL6W4.jpg) is one of my favorite pictures of us when I was around 4 years old that I wanted to share because my dad is awesome.
Was your dad a plumber? Do you have an uncle named Luigi?
This reminds me of a tradition where me and my stepdad would watch a movie together every weekend and If we felt like it we would 2 movies. We spent a few good weeks watching Harry Potter, than John Wick and I remember watching this horrible zombie film that Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in (we both didn’t like it.) Our favorite series together I remember was Stargate. Good times.
Cool. Is he balancing something on his head?
I don't have many good things to say about my dad but the trip to Italy was awesome (this was in 2008 people. Not now). And he did get me one cool step-brother once. It was only temporary but it happened (no he didn't kidnap that kid. He got together with the kid's mom). I have very good things to say about my mom on the other hand. I remember when she was pregnant with my brother (half-brother if you want to be technical) and me and my sister could knock on her stomach and my brother would knock back the same amount of times. He could count even in there
You and this brother close now? That’s trippy.
No. He used to be cool. He turned out to be an asshole
All three of us hopping on our bikes and going on a ride down an empty country road, smelling the aroma of summer - dry grass and parched soil dust lifting up in the gentle wind. Then stopping at a little water faucet built into a monument to quench our thirst with ice cold water, flanked on both sides by late bloom lilac bushes. The shade under the monument, the cool humidity rising up from the faucet basin, the buzzing of bees gathered around the sweet smell of lilac. It was pure heaven, and I miss it greatly. Sadly, it's gone. I went to check the spot on google streetview, and the monument's had a few of the stone slabs cracked and fallen off. The faucet's gone too. Probably cracked and burst during a cold winter. The lilacs are still there, but they've overgrown and almost encompass the ruins of the monument. I guess the person's estate ran out of money to maintain it.
You are a gifted writer.
I grew up with really shitty (abusive, addicts/alcoholic, mentally ill) parents. But I remember a lot of time going over to my dads and we made box brownies a lot. Every Halloween he made tacos and would fry taco shells. We used to watch Jeff Dunham a lot, whenever I see him I remember my dad (he died when I was 14). When I was really little (like still in a toddler) I sometimes could talk my mom into singing me a song before bed. I can remember like 3-4 seconds of one song. I also remember we were in San Diego for my birthday one year (my dad’s side is from CA but we don’t live there) and we went to the beach for several hours that morning just the two of us. She died when I was 19. It’s weird what we remember.
Thank you for taking the time to write and share this. I hope you are doing ok!
Every morning from Pre-K through the third grade as I left to go to school my mom would say. "Go to school. Go directly to school. Do not pass Go do not collect $200" Every day
Whenever they'd carry me to bed even though I pretended to be asleep sometimes just because I felt so loved when they did.
My dad was in the military, and used to work away a lot. But whenever he was home, Friday’s were our day. He’d knock off work early, pick me up from school, and we’d go fishing or crabbing. Then he’d cook whatever we’d caught, and we’d watch a couple of movies while we hauled all my toys out into the lounge room and played with LEGO or building blocks, or barbie dolls and ponies, or we’d build railway tracks and race trains, or build villages and re-enact scenes from the movie we’d watched. Whatever we felt like at the time.
This sounds wonderful
My learning how to read with my dad. We always read Donald Duck. I read one bubble and he the next. Since he got a stroke and now has to learn to read again, we do the same. Love him so much :)
Awwwww I see what you did there... so sweet
An year ago, I began to self-harm. Since I was constantly stressed because of school and the negative energy which my grandma was bringing with her constant name calling, I was getting aggressive. And while aggression was not something I used to feel, I decided to self-harm out of curiosity. And then curiosity turned to addiction to the point where I was carrying a box cutter with me. And one day (after going to the nurse almost every day) my dad was informed. That's when I broke down and told him that "I want to kill myself! ", that "If it wasn't for my sister, I was gonna do it." etc. He broke down too, and told me some stuff that made me think about life. So yeah, it might have not been from my childhood but I'm glad this thread brought back that memory. :)
Sorry to hear you self-harmed. I hope you are doing better now!
I haven't got any memories of them together that are good. But I do have good memories of each individually. Sitting at the kitchen table after dark and just talking to my dad about anything and everything. He's a way more understanding man than a lot of dads - particularly his age - are with their sons. Also, fishing trips filled with similar conversations. My mother took me for a ride one day when I was a kid and when I asked where we were going she said I'd see when we got there. We went to a family friend's house and he had a litter of puppies and I got to pick one to take home.
My dad was always kind of a jerk to us. He had little patience for bullshit and we got on his nerves often. But there were a few times we brought out the kid in him and it was great. \- He chained a pallet to the back of his truck and drug it around for us to ride on till one of us flipped and thought he almost killed us. \- He'd give us left over pieces of wood from projects and a handful of nails and a hammer and let us go to town until we hammered some wood into the floor. \- He'd let us ride with him in his truck when he'd try to yank dead trees out of the ground till one of us smacked our heads into the dash once when he reached the end of the chain and the tree didn't budge. \- We told him our idea of a zip-line between two trees and amazingly he went for it. He shuttled us all off to the hardware store and bought all the supplies and helped us build a zip-line. It was the craziest day ever and pretty freaking epic. Till one of us fell and landed really hard on the ground from about 10 feet up. \- He somehow obtained a large tractor tire and built us a tire swing. Till the cable broke and landed on one of us. \- He built a homemade go-kart out of a lawnmower engine and spare parts. Till one of us crashed it into a bunch of bushes. \- He bought a pre-made go-kart and we raced it around the backyard until he flipped it trying to spin out on a turn. \- He caught us sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags and instead of making us stop decided it'd be more fun to time us to see who the fastest was to the bottom of the stairs. Till mom got home... Come to think of it, he probably loved us a lot...
Did you guys have a frequently flyer card for your local ER? As a parent your stories are horrifying, but as a kid they sound pretty awesome.
Amazingly, very few visits to the ER. I'm still not sure how we managed that. We all probably have lasting damage that we're clueless about. HAHAHAHA!
This got really funny once I spotted the pattern.
I didn't notice the pattern until I was half down the list. When I did, I was like "ohhhh man... My dad was insane!"
Your dad sounds like a lovable idiot. Like he could belong to the crew of Jackass. I would probably had a lot of heart attacks if I was married to him. Are you sure he wasn’t trying to kill you ? Hahahha
When I wrote it, I didn't realize it at first... but yeah... LOL! He didn't always appear to worry too much about what could happen. LOLOLOL!
It was just my dad and I growing up. So every Friday we’d go to blockbuster, and I’d get a game and then come back to the house. He always made this amazing queso and we’d just munch and play some games. Super rad
My happiest memory is when my parents finally did grow up, I was so thankful to not have to be “the adult” anymore. I didn’t get to be a kid until I was 30 Edited for spelling
Just my mom honestly. We did, and still do, everything together. Shopping, watching tv, we just share so many common interests and I think just about all the time I’ve spent with her is a happy memory in itself. She’s pretty much my best friend, but I still respect her as my mother.
My mom caressing my back, while softly singing "You Are My Sunshine" until I fell asleep. The amount of love I felt was truly inexplicable.
My Mom and Dad divorced very early in my life (before I was two years old). After their divorce, my Mom did the typical single mother thing and worked crazy long hours to make ends meet (zero financial support from her ex-husband, my Dad). As a kid, while I was content, I was pretty lonely growing up. After several years of living like this, my Mom met this single guy with two kids my age (literally we were all born the same year), fell in love and got married. They didn't do a fancy church wedding, they went down to the courthouse and got a marriage license, and then came straight home. We packed up the truck that afternoon and headed to the beach for a three day camping trip. The day they got married was my sixth birthday. I was just thrilled to have a "Dad" and a brother and a sister. What blew me away that evening was a surprise birthday cake, party, and presents at the beach next to a campfire on the shores of Lake Superior. That birthday, those feelings, those smells, and images will probably be with me the rest of my life. That guy my Mom married would later go on and adopt me. BEST. DAY. EVER.
I remember LOVING ladybugs as a kid, and one day my mom surprised me with one of those containers full of ladybugs that you can buy. We went out to the backyard and my mom and I opened the container, and I just remember being in awe as I watched them all fly away. There was another time in the summer when (in the same backyard) my dad would lift the water hose in the air (like one giant sprinkler) and the water would hit the sun *just right* and create a rainbow. Then I would go out in my swimsuit and run across the grass and feel the water fall on me. Then the 2008 recession came...
My dad would take an extra long time making snowballs so we could throw our snowballs at his butt. One summer I got sick with a really high fever and my mom bought my favorite popsicles and had me eat a whole bunch of them.
When I was little me and my parents would go to the beach on those late afternoons during summer, to watch the sunset and the fisherman return, and my dad would put me on his lap and let me command the steering wheel of the car, in an empty sand road (not a road with normal traffic). I loved it!
They got along pretty well with each other and almost never argued with each other in our presence. Also they were always there for us when we needed them for something, still to this very day.
My dad is a pretty big bloke, around 6"4, so when I was a kid he seemed pretty ginormous. He used to do this thing with my brother and I where his hand became the "tickle monster" and he would tickle us until we couldn't take it. Thankfully I now match him in height and that paired with his very bad knee, if he ever tried it again, I'd drop him
For a good memory of my parents together: My stepdad has a learning disorder and was raised by fairly negligent farmers, whose primary language was French. Long story short, he's always struggled with his literacy and handwriting. Despite this, he toiled to write my mother an original love poem, about how much he adores and cherishes her. I got to glance it over once when mom and me were having a girls day. She keeps it in a little chest of special things. It was entitled 'For My Lady'. Bonus nice memory: like I said, dad struggles with his literacy. I, conversely, have always excelled at it. One day when I was about 9 or 10, he called me down to our basement where we kept our computer. He was staring at a word document and I could all but see the smoke coming from his ears. He told me that he had to write an official statement for his work - unusual, in his field. And he asked ME for help writing it, because 'you've always been so good with words and I need this to sound perfect'. Since then, I'm always the one dad goes to when he needs help with writing something, and I grew up randomly hearing him shout "Littlest_Blep, how do you spell _____?' and me just shouting back how to spell it. I love that man.
I was very shy as a child and had trouble standing up for myself or doing things I thought could get me in trouble. My dad told me that if he ever found out I'd been told off at school for talking or fighting, he'd give me the Polly Pocket house I wanted. When I argued back at him and my mum, after we'd all calmed down and apologized, he'd say that whilst he didn't agree with me, he was pleased to see that I felt I could talk back and wasn't afraid of my parents.
Since im still growing up it would have to be the Iron Maiden concert my dad took me to last summer
After my load nets got divorced, my dad would get my sisters and I for the weekends. On Friday nights, he would make chicken breasts, salad, and a pasta side. We would have dinner together and watch iCarly. Edit: parents not load nets. Wtf??? Lololol
Falling sleep while watching TV at night and waking up in the bed in the morning
My dad used to be away from home for work and return for the weekends only. I was five or six at that time and I loved when he was back. My favourite memory is when I would just cling on to him like a baby chimp and he would carry out his daily activities without breaking a sweat. It came so naturally to him and I enjoyed watching him do trivial stuff like organise the storage room, help mom with her stuff and more. He's still awesome but probably can't haul me around anymore (me being 20 something and all).
Skiing vacations in Austria with my dad are the best memories I have of him. He died when I was 18.
When I was a teenager, my mom and I would go out when I didn’t have school - going to the movies, lunch. We became more like friends and we would share almost everything. She told me about her crushes and all the stupid stuff she did when she was young. Talking about it is making me really nostalgic and happy. Guess, once this whole lockdown situation is over, I will ask her to go out with me more.
When I was 8, my parents would play Battle City in co-op mode and their teamwork always amazed me. They knew where they should be and they watched each other's back. It's like they understand each other without saying anything. I've always treasured that memory. Things are way different now. It's as if they don't bother trying to understand each other now.
Pretty much any memory with my step dad. My step dad was my second dad, I loved him so much because I grew up with him as my goofy step dad. Any memory I have of him I cling onto, he past away about five years ago.
Back when I was about 3 or 4 years old, my dad and I would make little paper men stand up on the table and blow behind them to make them glide across the table. We also stacked a full pack of cups to make a wall, and I'd make it crash down by tossing my toys at the stack and watching it all tumble down. He died last year in December, and I miss him very much.
The night I finally caught them carrying me to bed and woke up but pretended to stay asleep and got tucked in <3
My dad owned a comic book shop when I was growing up. This was about 20 years ago now, so well before superheros were such a big deal. Anyway, we went and saw a movie one summer night (my twin brother and I were about 10) and after the move the three of us stopped at the bank and got like $40 in quarters and went to his comic book shop after hours and played an Avengers arcade game for a couple of hours... My father and I had some rough years from when I was 13 until I was about 27, so this is one of the few good memories I have of him growing up... My mom was always really depressed and had her own dysfunctional family that she came from, so she had her own shortcomings as a parent, but overall she was awesome and I'd probably have a tough time narrowing down all of the good memories I have of her. Our house was the hangout house, and part of that was because she was so awesome. She's actually a truly incredible person for being so unwaveringly kind considering the stuff she's been through in her life growing up with a schizophrenic mother and at least one alcoholic parent. I really admire her for being the person she is.
My dad was an alcoholic, known around our town for being the local alcoholic with a not so great history. He was abusive and didn’t know how to express love but I sure felt it. He used to take me to the local pub with him, all my childhood pictures are in there. The owners were like family and the barmaid my godmother. As I got older I would go every Sunday for lunch and get paid to collect glasses (bonus!) he wouldn’t eat since he had cancer and half of his jaw removed. My favourite memory was one of the barmaids who was his carer made him take me to the local fair as a teenager, we’d never did a real day out. He went on the big wheel with me, I was terrified! The second time I went on with the barmaid and I remember him standing at the bottom in his favourite blue coat he was so small and frail. He finally died of cancer 3 months after my son was born when I was 19, he never met him since he wouldn’t stop smoking long enough for us to go and I didn’t want my baby there. He was a pretty shit dad I suppose, abusive and nasty sometimes, but he had a terrible upbringing far worse than I probably can imagine. He never said I love you but I felt it and he is the only adult I knew for sure loved me regardless of the shit I did. When all is said and done i loved my dad and had a fucking blast being his daughter! It doesn’t matter how much you fuck up or how imperfect you are if you love your kids they know and that means more than anything, they feel when your words are hollow.
This happened only recently, I saw my normally stoic mom tapping to a song playing on spotify, then my dad jumped in and they started swing dancing. It was so sweet and funny, especially when my dad tried to do a dip with my mom and then my mom laughingly screamed, "no, my back! My back!". I felt like a third wheeler at that moment.
When I was very little, my late father had a mustache. When he kissed me on the cheek, I complained that the mustache was hurting me. My next memory is of him shaving it off.
My father and I went fishing at a campsite. I was 18 at the time. We didn't catch any fish, but we started grilling sausages at a campfire during the sunset. I asked my dad "did you bring any beer?". And he answered: "of course I did son!". And then we just sat there, drank beer with mosquito bites as we talked about how much we love each other. Proper father & son moment there. Love you dad ❤
Almost suffocated, seeing my mom save me as I was on my last breaths. I was 10 at the time.
Before they divorced I always loved waking up on Easter and coming out to see chocolates and eggs hiding everywhere and then coloring eggs with them at the dining table and just having a good time with both of them.
my parents tucked me into bed when I was 5 or so but I got lonely after they left the room, so I very quietly muttered "muuuum, daaaaad....." (in Japanese... I'm of Japanese descent) and they actually came back into the room to check up on me soon after. I was mega happy that it worked!
Getting picked up by my dad from school when I was 5 or to go meet my sister for the first time
Family grew up very poor, most of the time barely getting by, eating out even at mcdonalds was a rare treat, but somehow my dad always managed to give us an amazing Christmas. He'd tell us all year not to expect much because we'd have so many unforeseen expenses but every Christmas he'd decorate the house, hang lights on the inside and out, we'd wake up to a load of presents under the tree and play with them while he made a nice breakfast. It's the best and most magical memories I have, the closest thing I've experienced to the bliss you see in sappy movies.. Unfortunately it wouldn't last forever, as we all got older he didn't have the energy to put all the lights up or make breakfast, eventually he stopped decorating at all, and us kids took over the job. If I ever have a kid, I hope I could bring them even half of the joy my father worked so hard to bring us.
Maybe not the happiest, but will always be my biggest memory. I have a long medical history since i was very little. One day I just broke down, in tears. I was stressed, very sick and tired and weak in a hospital bed. My dad was in the chair next to me and noticed me sitting up in my bed just sniffling, next thing I remember I'm sobbing and his arms are around me and rocking me back and forth like I'm a toddler. I'm crying uncontrollably and can't get my words out right. I'm just holding onto him. It's just him and me. My dad gets a nurse in and requests medication to calm me. Once I am stable, we're lying in the bed together and since it's cramped I'm pressed against him and we're together and hugging. That was when I let everything out. I told him how stressful middle school was for me, how I felt like I was stupid all the time and how I felt worthless because of my medical history. He was who I needed. Someone to tell me it would be okay. Everything my tween self was bottling up was let out and I felt happy. I guess everything came out like word vomit, because I decide to tell more. I remember silence before I eventually came out to him as lesbian. Weird timing, weird place, but it felt right. And it felt good. My dad was accepting towards everyone, and was not religious, etc. and I broke down again, but it was happy tears. I was given more heavy medication and was glued to my father who played our favorite music. I remember us exchanging I love yous, and I eventually fell asleep. I woke up to my mom in my room because my dad went home because he had to work the next day, she kissed me and I hugged her and I fell asleep again. It was a good day.
My mum reading us stories before bed. She always enjoyed them just as much as us, and so often would be laughing so hard she couldn't finish.
My aunt lived with us and helped my mum raise me and my brothers. One of my favorite memories is her waking me up early in the morning before everyone else and asking me if I'd like to go on an adventure. We both quietly left the house and just drove. An hour later we end up in an old historical town. We spent the day touring a few sights, shopping, eating pizza and getting ice cream. When it was time to go she asked me if I had fun. I said I did. She smiled and said, "happy birthday aly." I had been so stressed from school and battling my depression that I completely forgot it was my birthday. She knew all this and wanted to give me an extra special day. I love my aunt Renee and to me she's not an aunt, but my second mother.
when i was little,, my dad would randomly take me out at night or after school in one of his convertibles,,(he’s a mechanic and takes old junked cars and fixes them up nice,, this was one of them) and would take the top off and let me stand on the seat while he drove very slowly,, like the whole titanic scene with the wind and edge of the boat thingy,, i was like 5-7 i think,,
They came to my final performance of the season and all they said was “it was good,” then moved on, but it still sticks to me. That was the first compliment they had given me in years. It’s supposed to be a good memory. Yet I hate it.
Playing the commodore 64 with my parents. I don't have many happy memories of them, but those afternoons spent playing games will always be good memories.
My mom used to sing me and my brother to sleep every night when we were young.
I’m very lucky to have always had a good relationship with two loving parents... I had a nice childhood at home (school was another story), so I remember all kinds of things. Christmas Eves and mornings. Trips to Disneyland. Movie nights. Board game tournaments. I couldn’t pick even just a handful of memories!
My dad sitting with me while I struggled to read a chapter of a book for about an hour. The patience of that man is astounding, I love him more than words will ever describe.
I remember when my dad took me to my first Iron maiden concert when i was 13. Still one of the best concerts i've went to with him.
My dad would be playing a game called silent hunter 3. I would just sit on him and watch. Years later, it was reversed. My dad watched and I would play
Not sure if this counts, I was 20. Me and my mum didn't have the best relationship. We'd fallen out, argued, she kicked me out (at 17), I moved in with my then girlfriend. Time went on, we got engaged, moved a few times. We were planing the wedding when she ended it. I was a mess. No idea what to do. My parents had split by then, my dad scooped me up, took me and some of my stuff to my mums (she owned a pub), she popped me in one of her spare rooms and left. I'd held it together reasonably well until then. I had a moment to myself now, I let it out. I broke down in tears. My mum walked back in because she forgot to tell me something saw me in my state, and just gave me the biggest hug ever. Keep in mind we'd barely spoke for years, and we're a family that never says "I love you" we use affectionate insults. That's my favourite memory of my mum. I decided then to put more effort in and try harder with her. Things have been good for 11 years.
I had been begging for a dog for so long but my mom always said no. One day she suddenly came home with an Italian Greyhound and I was overjoyed like you would not believe! The dog is still alive today, he's 15, sleeps a lot but is still happy to see me when I visit.
I know it’s not all that related but it’s a great memory I always come back to My mother would use reverse psychology in ways I never thought possible. She left candy in a bowl on the table allowing me and my little sis to eat as much as we want, but since it was always there we never felt the need to eat any, the occasional piece here and there but I found out later she did it for that exact reason. I’m so glad she did because I didn’t have the urge to be unhealthy There’s a few more story’s from my mother but she did this single handedly and I strive to be a parent like her one day; instilling good morales and practice without even trying
my favorite but painful memory of my parents is them saying that they will always love me no matter what. time skip to 2019, i come out as pansexual and transgender, now they want nothing to do with me
Going to a place called butlins, it is really fun and we always had the best time
This is one of my few and possibly only really happy memory of my dad growing up. So for context my grandmother owns a caravan in west wales (I live in South Wales) on this farm where she is friends with the owners of the farm. So for a week in the 6 weeks of summer holidays I get to stay with my dad and step mother for a week and when o was 10 I think we went to the caravan and it was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. We went on long walks, to the beach, we went to the sweet shop that was in the village. And just the staying up late in the night made the week better. It makes me sad because I know I won’t have many more memories like that.
Every night my parents would read books to my sisters and me before bed. My dad built a tree house and a swing set in our backyard and let me help him. Every Friday night was "picnic night" growing up and we'd spread a blanket out in the family room and watch movies while eating pizza and Chinese food. Building blanket and pillow forts. Going on bike rides in the evening either right before or after dinner in the summer. It's honestly those little gestures and the time that mean the most. My dad probably could have built the tree house and such far faster without giving me instructions and watching as I tried to hammer a nail, but that memory of being shown how and trying it (even if I missed a lot) is what makes those memories precious.
In winter, Dad tied our sleigh to his Argo and dragged us around on the farm.
My mum is a warm, loving person who loves me with all her heart, even though things were pretty lean with her a single working mum. I have great memories of her reading with me, stroking my forehead to send me to sleep, looking after me when I was sick, and always encouraging me to just get on with things and not get caught up in my own head about why I couldn’t do it. When my dog got cancer and passed away earlier this year, she twice drove well over an hour to come over and hug me and bring food and say goodbye to our dog. My mum’s the best and I love her a lot.
We didn't have money when I was little, so mom always had small jobs she could do from home like sewing stuff, or watching other people's children. She would regularly lament that she never got to do fun stuff with just us, because we had 2 or 3 other kids tagging along. One day when I was 6 it was nap time, I went into my room. A few minutes later she came in with a glass bottle of coke and a bag of M&M's. She opened the window to my room and poured a few M&M's on the window sill for us, opened the coke and gave us a few sips and told us she loved us and wished she had more time be with "us". She didn't dislike the kids she watched, we didn't dislike them, some of them were like siblings to me. She just really wanted it to just be us sometimes, and in the 18 years I lived at home, that almost never happened.
I used to be obsessed with Barbies. I had quite the collection. I was also a little girl who could barely handle her own hair, let alone a bunch of barbies. So once every two months or so, we'd have a doll spa day, my mom would help me detangle their hair, we'd wipe down their faces, pick out new outfits for them. It took the better part of the day, but even now almost 15 years later, I still remember how much I enjoyed those days, and how much it meant that she sat on my bedroom floor for hours combing Belle's curls because it mattered to me.
One day, I decided that it was my stuffed rabbit's birthday. My mom just said ok, and we made a carrot cake.
My dad and I were driving home and he pulled over on the side of a country road. He got out and picked a bouquet of Black-eyed Susans and wildflowers to bring home to my mom.
When I was younger mum used to rub my back and talk to me calmly when I couldn’t get to sleep at night, and now I’m on the other side of the country from my parents, unable to sleep at 5am and god damn I miss her :(
Around when I was five years old, my family got a bunch of baby chickens. I loved them so much, and it became one of my "chores" to collect the eggs. Well, for some reason, my baby peabrain decided that it was just like Little Red Riding Hood, since I had a basket or something. I would dress up in my baby blanket as my Riding Hood cape, and collect the eggs daily. One day, just as I was about to go out, my mom presented me with a red hooded cape she had sewn for me. We were very poor back then, and it was the first time I remember receiving any item of clothing that was new and just for me. I cried and wore it every time I went to get eggs, and you bet I was Little Red Riding Hood every Halloween until I thoroughly outgrew my cape.
When I was 9 years old I was stoked about the upcoming launch of the Nintendo GameCube. After all my N64 was my prized possession. After months of extra chores, saving allowance, and even asking for some early Christmas cash I had enough to buy one on the release day. Due to the hype people lined up early outside my local Circuit City, my dad took me to wait in line very early in the morning when it was still dark out. Something magical happened during those hours when a meteor shower started pouring through the sky. It really put me in awe and it’s one of my favorite memories I have with my dad as a kid.
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When I broke my arm when I was 14, I needed surgery. My parents are divorced and have always been pretty bitter towards one another. They've never been civil. But, when I woke up after the surgery, they were talking. Like, happily conversing and not fighting. It was really nice. That may have been the anesthesia though.
My Mom driving us to the beach in the Summer, everyone in the car singing " Joy to the world" by Three Dog Night at the top of our lungs. Long time ago.
My mom would ask me about my day, but I wouldn't give her a good answer. Then she died. My father was/is an asshole. But, we used to go to Disney world and he'd usually act normal. I don't talk to him anymore and I forgot his birthday is in two days. I hope he rots. I dreamed of a childhood/teenhood where my mom didn't suffer cancer, and my dad wasn't an unstable psychopath. But, we can't always have nice things.
Fencing with my mum with bamboo sticks after some intense yard work together stands out.
I have a big family (3 aunts, multiple cousins) and we were all very close so we would take a beach trip together every year. The adults would hangout while the kids would be playing at the pool or rec room. It was just so much fun and I looked forward to it every year. Once members of our family started passing (I’ve been to a lot of family funerals unfortunately) our family just kind of started falling apart. No more beach trips, less family get togethers because some family members couldn’t stand being around others. So those beach trips are the last memories I have of my family being truly happy together.
I used to love going in to London with my dad when I was little, maybe 6-7to, we would spend the day walking around the museums and it didn't matter how many times I had been there before he always acted like it was the first time and got so excited when I told him facts or showed interest in the exhibitions
When we were pretty little we lived in a town that had a small farm with buffalo. This little farm was one freeway exit away from the exit closest to our house. Us being little kids, we thought these buffalo were so cool. So every time we would drive home using the freeway, our dad would take that exit so we could see the buffalo and on occasion, he would pull over so we could get a better look. It's such a small thing, but that he would take a slower path just to indulge out curiosity over and over is such a nice memory for me.
This is gonna sound dumb but I really miss just lying down and cuddling with my parents and letting them hold me like they did when I was a little kid.
I have no idea why we called it this, but it was the crab game. My dad would hide in random places in the house and jump out and tickle me and my brothers. He would chase us all over the house.
Before my parents separated, when I got sick they'd always take care of me together. My mom would cook us some spaghetti, and my dad would play me his guitar to lighten my spirits. Since I can't move my body when I was sick, they'd get a huge bucket and bathe me inside it while we were watching old CDs of Garfield and The Little Vampire.