Community Corner

What's the Best Advice Dad Ever Gave You?

For Father's Day, we'd like to know the most memorable words of advice or wisdom you heard from your dad. You can tell us in the comments.

An unknown author once wrote, "Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad."

When I was young my father, who was a police sergeant, used to give one favorite piece of advice. He would ask the officers on his squad to have one simple goal for the day.

"Every day make one thing better than when you found it," he would tell them.

When I graduated from the police academy, my dad pinned my badge on my chest and whispered to me on the stage: "Every day make one thing better than when you found it."

That piece of advice is something I still think about all of the time.

My husband often tells our kids that "life is not fair," which is also a good thing to learn in life. He does not tell the kids to pull his finger (for that I am so grateful), but he does make them brush their teeth at night and he hugs them when they need a daddy snuggle.

As a mother, I feel like Father's Day is sometimes not prioritized the way Mother's Day is every year. We tend to see a slew of advertisements for Mother's Day gifts and sales for weeks in advance, but Father's Day feels like it is sandwiched in with the end-of-school hoopla and graduation celebrations.

The role of fathers has evolved dramatically over the years from when I was young and dads have now taken a more active part in the critical and dynamic realm of raising children.

Dads are on muted conference calls while also changing dirty diapers and schlepping kids to and from play dates. They are playing catch and reading stories at bedtime.

With Father's Day today, Patch wants to hear the best advice your dad ever gave you. If you are a dad, what is your favorite piece of advice you give your kids?

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tell us in the comments section below. (You can also add your favorite pics of you and your dad, or just your dad, by clicking the "Upload Photos and Videos" button below the photos accompanying this article.)

Happy Father's Day to all of those fantastic dads out there.

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Autumn Johnson is a Patch editor.


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