What is your relationship with your dad?

Not bad at all actually, sure there were up and downs growing up. Though father Tugboat always did his best to provide guidance and advice whenever it was needed. Insanely intelligent man, who taught me to appreciate learning, and always self improve. We don't talk all the time, but when we do, usually the conversations are insightful.

Sure, we get into arguments a times, because we are both stubborn assholes. Never anything that is anymore than in hindsight as something ridiculous. Weird that he is actually very internet savvy and in many senses is the old fags of old fags. Which is quite particular for most in his generation, but makes sense because he always liked tinkering with software and computers. So in a lot of ways a lot of my interests actually spawn from a lot of his. He is pretty old school in more senses than one, he isn't a rich man by any means. Though he is a very humble and polite man, was always an upstanding citizen, and inspired me in a lot ways. So, I can say that my relationship with my dad has been positive and I love him very much.
 
Considering the turbulent nature of my environment and how it impacted families I'd say despite all odds I have a stable and loving relationship with my father.
 
My relationship with my dad has improved as I got older. It's quite good now. I love him (and my mom) very much ❤️.

He had a rough but adventurous life and for all his faults (drugs and alcohol), he tried his best to be a good father. I didn't have the best childhood because of his addictions and bad coping mechanisms, but it certainly could have been worse and I forgave him.

In the early 70s he joined the gendarmerie. He liked his job but it wasn't easy on him. Sometimes he saw some crazy shit. But back then psychological help wasn't really a thing so he and his colleagues turned to alcohol. He also had trouble sleeping, so the doctors prescribed him strong sleeping pills. He's still addicted to them til this day. I love hearing his batshit crazy stories. Recently, he and his old friend from work told me that during some of their night shifts they would sneak to the graveyard and steal intact skulls from uncovered old graves that were being digged out to create new spaces for new coffins. They cleaned them with bleach and sold them for profit.

As a side hustle he was also a certified diamond grader and a jewelry trader. He used to have lots of connections to the Antwerp underground (Georgian Jewish mafia and Moroccan mafia). He also learnt Yiddish from scratch just to earn the respect of the orthodox Jews that were dominating the jeweley business. He has a good eye for business, but also made some mistakes. But he told me that those mistakes made him better at business because he'd learn from them.

He lost his job as a gendarme because during a police raid in the Jewish quarter he was caught with a valuable ring that was reported stolen. He was put on 'early pension' at the age of 55. Afterwards he fully committed to his cheeky jewelry and diamond endeavours. He stopped at around 2010 because it has become a dying business.

I'm kinda proud that I inherited some of his cheekiness and business side. I love hanging out with my dad! He's teaching me all about gold, silver, diamonds, precious gemstones, etc. He's so intelligent, a walking encyclopedia.

A few months ago, like a true boomer, he sent me a racist image joke. I wanted to show it to my friend on messenger. As I copied and sent the image to him I get banned from facebook for 3 days because the AI system detected racist imagery -.- THANKS DAD LOL

Although my relationship with him is much better, he himself isn't doing great. He's very depressed and wants to commit euthanasia. His addictions just add more fuel to the fire. I try to get him out of the house as much as I can. I try to go to the gym with him as much as I can. If he truly wants to die, I won't be able to stop him. But at least I can hope for the best and try to continue making good memories together with him❤️

Sorry for the long post! It was kinda fun talking about him. I have more outrageous stories if anyone wants to read them.
 
Its rocky. He's getting up there in age and is obsessed with death. It was his birthday yesterday and he refused to celebrate "another year closer to my death", ruining dinner plans and sulking in his room. His ego is enormous but he has a heart made of pure gold. He's 70 now, and the late stage depression has hit him like a ton of bricks. I love him dearly and with him being my closest friend I'm convinced when he does die ill probably have to be committed afterwards. He sacrificed so much for me and my family, I just wish I could repay him.
 
I don't wanna be mean to your dads, but mine was certainly the best. Passed away some years ago and I've never recovered from it.
One of my funniest and most favorite memory of him is that he would always shout at stupid journos when watching news, as if they would be right in front of him in the room:
"Tell the truth you liar!"
"Who's paying you?!"
"Which side you're on?!"
It may sound like he was angy, and he was, but never towards us. It's just that the state of the world was making him seethe. And that was way before all the LGBTs and culture wars became this massive thing. He'd be mega angy now if he saw what's going on. And if i only could, I would be sitting there with him, and shouting at retarded journos.
I am very happy whenever someone who knew him, tells me I'm just like him. Best Dad ever.
 
Distant, if only because that is the family dynamic. I know I am his favorite child from the way he speaks to me though. Didn't teach me much growing up but he is a literal actual boomer so his advice would be worthless, but same goes for my mom as well. Wish they both raised us better and did more with us growing up.
 
I asked him and he explained to me that the big explosion in Beirut in 2020 was actually from the grain elevators, getting too hot from the fireworks explosion, which got too hot from the fire on the boat, which was in politically questionable ownership
 
I was born to teen boomer parents who just made lifelong dumb decisions, but my dad always tried to do his best, even when he wasn’t equipped for it.

When my parents split up in the 80s, they agreed that he would be the better parent (just thinking about that is :wow: but they were correct). Luckily my wonderful grandparents were always there to make sure we weren’t neglected to death while he figured it out.

We get along way better now than then - I just accept that he’s a normal flawed person and I enjoy his company and we hang out quite a bit. Because he’s not that much older than me, I feel like we are getting closer in age as we get older, which I know sounds weird. I have a lot of empathy for what he went through but he’s been terrible at picking women.

TLDR: complicated in childhood, pretty good in middle age. Glad to be raised by single dad rather than single mom.
 
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