This was supposed to be a post shitting on bad dads but I guess this is just another aspect of life that I got shit luck on and most people don’t hate their father.

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[–] OldSoulHippie@hexbear.net 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I couldn't stand him when I was growing up. He's actually my step dad, but I've known him since I was like five. He is a blue collar, salt of the earth type and was moderately conservative by today's standards when I was growing up. When my worldview was limited, I saw him as some sort of redneck workaholic guy who would come home angry every day. We always tried to steer clear of him when he was home because if we got in his eye line, he would find some crazy projects for us kids to go work on. Usually involving crazy manual labor that kids shouldn't have been doing. But that's how he grew up.

As I got older and got a job and responsibilities of my own, I realized he was just doing his best and had a lot on his plate. He was never physically abusive towards us, but I was still a little afraid of him when I was young. I grew up in a family with no other kids until I was 8. And I mean no other kids. I have no cousins or anything. I was raised by a bunch of older Midwestern Catholic ladies. I think my dad took it up on himself to "man me up" which I resisted at every turn. I'm glad he taught me about fixing things and helping others though. I've saved so much money with the DIY mentality he gave me. He's devoted to his family and to this day will drop everything to help just about anyone. He's not perfect, but I'm super thankful he was and is in my life. We still don't really see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but in a lot of ways I turned into him. It's a strong case for nurture in the nature/nurture debate.