What did you do with your father when you were young?

Went fishing, a lot. My father always had a boat, we'd be out on the water almost every weekend. Many of my early happy memories were fishing trips.

He also taught me to scuba dive, he started in the early 50s and made his own equipment. Did not let me do it until he purchased some safer stuff, early 60s I think. We mostly spearfished. That was years before any regulation or certifications, we just did it.

Didn't keep the diving up, but I do still fish.
 

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He read me stories most bedtimes.

I recall a few times going to the barber shop with him, out to the country farm to buy fresh eggs and see the baby chicks.

He bowled 2x a week, one was just practice night and I went with him and played pin ball with another girl who also came with her dad. I loved pin ball!

I would sometimes go to the driving range with him while he practiced his golf swing. Somehow he got me a small driver and I learned to hit the ball. One time the head of my club broke off and sailed down the hill with the ball. I cried.

If there was a parade going on, he would take me. Sometimes to the park or the movies.
 
During summer vacation I spent a lot of time with my father, he would take us out fishing in his small boat. We would also go swimming and clamming. We would go night crabbing off the dock with a long handled net and I worked the flashlight, luring them in without scaring them, blue claws mostly.

He would also take me for long walks, put me on his shoulders when it was too much for me. He'd point out constellations in the night sky as I sat on his knee. Good memories of the old days with my dad. Rest in peace.
 
I remember my Dad taking me with him a couple of times when he was doing some field work. After that was done we would go into the woods in a rural area and fish for brook trout. Those were obviously special times as I still remember them and I was probably only 6 or 7 years old. I also remember him taking me camping on a beach once. We made a really great breakfast by campfire the next morning. Loved that outing!

I think Dads today need to understand the little things they do with their kids, just them and their child alone, can mean more than they might know to that child. A special outing can mean the world to that child.
 
When Dad was on his 'Shore Duty' phase at Pearl Harbor, he taught me to sail.
We sailed a lot and at night he would teach me navigation and reading a Sextant.

You'd think that a man who spent his life on the ocean would want a break from it,
but I watched his love of the ocean when we went out or when he talked about it.

I am so lucky that he shared his passion for Sailing with me.
 
Outings on dad's boat during the summer where he taught us how to swim & water ski and camping & fishing for walleye up in Canada, cooking the fish on the shore line on an open fire. Also played baseball, volleyball, tennis, basketball, croquet and horseshoes.

In the winter, he played outdoors with us in the big snowfalls, building full sized igloos and animals like elephants and dogs out of snow. We also ice skated & played hockey, went sled riding & toboggining.

Took us to many Ice Capade shows & fairs.
 
Not much with just my father. My father was very quiet and his greatest pleasure, I think, was watching baseball (which because of that, I now hate). I remember him surprising me with a toy when I was really little, acting silly as we do with our little ones and delighting at my reaction to it all. I also remember him trying to teach me to ride a bike. That didn't go so well once he let go of it. He and my mom would take me to amusement parks when I was young...Coney Island, Rye Beach (N.Y.) and Palisades Park (N.J.) When I got old enough to work Daddy would pick me up from work and sometimes take me if he could.
 
We watched old sci-fi movies on weekend afternoons. In winter, we got in trouble with Mom for throwing snowballs. Once we broke the glass on the storm door.

My older brothers had other things they wanted to do, so I helped him with projects & repairs around the house. I learned how to pour cement, work with wood & fix odds-n-ends. I was also taught to change oil, flat tires & check the fluids on my car which served me well when some repair shops tried to BS me later.

Dad drove for a tool & die shop, so if he had to leave early on a Monday, he'd load over the weekend. I ended up able to operate the crane, knew how to place the load on the truck for even weight & the proper way to tie down a load. The only thing I didn't get to do (my brothers did) was to drive that truck before he retired.
 
My dad had a boat and we lived close to Lake Erie, so many weekends we spent fishing out on the lake or just going for boat rides if mom was along. My mom liked to water ski, so dad would pull her with the boat. Then we would picnic at the state park onshore after boating. Dad was also a baseball fan, so we would go watch the Cleveland Indians, now the Guardians play. My dad was definitely a hands on dad. He always had something planned for him and I to do stuff together, except when he would go hunting with his friends. I never liked killing animals.

BTW, I only had my dad until I was 9 years old.
 
Swimming! He taught me to be fearless in the water. He took me took me boating and taught me to paddle a canoe. He took me hunting and fishing, bowling, and taught me to ice skate. He took me to baseball games and never mowed the lawn without me. He bought me a tiny plastic lawn mower so I could pretend to cut the grass with him. He cooked for me, tucked me in at night and read me a bedtime story every night. He took me to amusement parks on his days off from work and to the ocean all summer long. When I was old enough, he taught me how to drive a car. What great memories!
 
My father was a Recreational Therapist at a state hospital for the mentally ill, he worked with adolescent males. Back in those days the hospital was "family friendly", so employees were allowed to bring their kids to all sorts of events. We attended softball games, and the local stock car races, and gymnastic events. Holidays were always big parties. It was a lot of fun.
 
I treasure every moment I spent with my father. We lived continents apart for most of our lives.
Before he left Europe, he would take my sister and I camping. It was just a day trip (no overnight) but we had all the equipment, tent included. Our site was a beautiful pine forest not too far from the city.
Later, my mother decided to join him in Brazil with us. I loved my time there. We had a dog (Molly)! We would go and explore the country. Unfortunately, it did not last and my mother moved back to Europe with us.
My father would come to visit us on a regular basis or invite us to join him in Italy. I loved to go to Italy with him. He was a proud Roman! Everything in Italy was better than anywhere else in his mind! He shared his love of art and history with me. He was a very interesting man and I wish I could have spent more time with him!
 
My father worked on cars, since he was a rally driver, and I handed him the tools. Later on he’d take me with him to test the car. Usually it was my brother who went .
My father was a very good driver and a fearless one who always drove really fast. Many times I thought we’d be in an accident but he did FAST well.

He was an avid swimmer and taught me to swim. We’d do some long distant swimming together. He was fearless in the water and taught me not to be afraid of it ; not by words, but by his actions. I still do long distance swimming. Just not as long. Lol

He played piano and could play Chopin so beautifully. When he played pop music, I’d sing with him. It’s something I really enjoyed. Later I learned to play piano and I sing almost daily. He actually was a huge influence in me becoming a seasoned musician and to this day I still play my instruments which is something I treasure greatly.

My dad and I made a lot of food together. When I was very young my mom stayed home but around grade 2 she began her career in accounting. She was incredible at math. My dad did most of the cooking and cleaning from that day forward. He helped me gain an appreciation of vegetables. My mother never ate them so only cooked things like canned peas whereas my dad enjoyed them and wasn’t afraid to venture into trying different things.

Barbecuing! My dad would barbecue a lot of things but mostly hot dogs and hamburgers but we did have steaks and pork chops at times. My dad was a fairly good cook and he definitely loved food. He taught me a lot about different beers, malts and scotch, none of which I enjoy but certainly interesting. My parents enjoyed drinking and socializing, unlike me.

My dad and mom both taught me to be adventurous. They both enjoyed travelling and camping so on the weekends and summer vacation, we always had some place exciting to go. We drove everywhere and had a tent trailer, but us kids had our own tent. We got a 25 cent allowance on weekends and would buy candy. My parents went on many boats tours yearly and only stopped travelling when they could no longer get insured. By then my dad was in his late ‘80’s. Plus my dad lost his licence but drove for another 3 or 4 years without being caught.

Gardening. My father was the gardener in our house and enjoyed growing. Every year he’d grow roses and tomatoes. He’d grow beans, cucumbers, and peppers. There were many things he planted and cared for. Our house had many beautiful trees and bushes. We’d often do gardening together. It became part of our summer chores and something I came to enjoy. I’ve certainly got an appreciation of gardening and wildlife in general.

Tobogganing! My parents were very active and we’d often go tobogganing in the winter time. He played tennis a lot and tried teaching us but it wasn’t anything I really enjoyed. Badminton was more my style when it came to racket sports.

When we were younger we’d sometimes go to the drive in on weekend nights. None of the movies were children’s movies but it was still a lot of fun. We’d get hot dogs, popcorn and pop. We didn’t eat much junk food but when we did, it was so good. We were raised to eat proper food which is something I truly appreciate about my parents.

Yearly my dad took us to the annual Christmas party sponsored by his employer. We’d get really nice gifts and candy and there was a lot of good food. He worked as a engineer and was there since 1965 and it was the only job he had until he retired.

I miss my dad. 🙁
 
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I did everything with my father as a child, and was almost his shadow when he wasn’t at work. I think that was because he was trapped in an unsatisfying marriage to a narcissistic woman who simply couldn’t be bothered with me, and would just throw me outside to “play” even in bitter winter cold. So it was my father who alone would take me to parks, hobby stores, museums, and the like, and whom I would gladly accompany to hardware stores and hang with him in his home workshop. The down side was that I was expected to help him out when he was doing yard work, which he did for hours, and which I hated…
 
I did so much with my dad that I don't know if I can remember it all. He ran a gas station and repaired cars and trucks there. It was directly across the road from our house. So could go there anytime to see him. He knew how to do so many things. He taught me how to fish which was one of things we did as a family. Often he would take me down the creek behind our house to fish or swim. He taught me how to shoot a gun and use a gun safely. Took our family (my mother, brother and me) to stock car races during the racing season. He could fix anything, right up until his death at 93, people always brought things to him to be fixed. He made toys for us that lasted until we outgrew them.

When we moved to FL, he got a boat and we would go out on the boat all the time. We lived in a beautiful area with fresh water lakes and the river was a mile from our house. We swam almost every day. I would go fishing with my father anytime he asked. I learned to garden from him. He could grow anything. I still have the houseplants that he started for me. He was always a big part of my life and I miss him so much.
 
Dear ole dad was absent for fear of my mother telling him what to do. Perhaps narcissistic who did not receive the praise and admiration he thought he deserved at home, so he rose to the occasion at church and community by avoiding family and parental presence.
What did I do with my dad? Under strict orders from mom, my brothers and I were not to get him upset or confront him because of his health, As a senior in high school my world changed and expanded to the nightlife of clubs, drugs, dancing and girls, neither church or dad were privy to the lifestyle I chose as a replacement to the confines of their moralistic values and judgement.

What did I do with my dad? My dad did not ever attempt or suggest that he and I do something together.
 

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