“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised and unnoticed and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” -Billy Graham
In honor of Father’s Day, I went on a search for “dadisms”, you know those little words and phrases of wisdom that all dads use at some point? So many of the same ones came up over and over. I have compiled a list below for your reading enjoyment and even separated them into fun categories! How many of these have you heard before?
The Clichés: These are the standard. The ones every dad on earth has said or will say at some point.
“I’m not sleeping…I’m just resting my eyes.”
“This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.”
“I brought you in this world, and I can take you out!”
“Nobody ever said life was fair.”
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
“If you’re friends all jumped off a bridge are you going to jump off the bridge, too?”
“Keep your eye on the ball.”
“When you pay your own bills, you can do whatever you want.”
“Go ask your mother.”
“I don’t care what everyone else is doing! I’m not their dad!”
The Philosophical Inspirationals: For the more articulate father.
“Be a leader not a follower.”
“A poor ride beats a proud walk.”
“Always be kind, but take no crap.”
“Remember who you are and where you come from.”
“Nothing good happens after midnight.”
“A fool and his money shall soon part company.”
“You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.” (A personal favorite from my own father, John Wickliffe.)
The Funnies: One liner words of wisdom for the dad with a good sense of humor.
“Been there, done that, got the free t-shirt.”
“Don’t write check with your mouth that your butt can’t cash.”
“The sun doesn’t shine on the same dog’s butt every day.”
“Pull my finger.”
“Do you have hot grits in your mouth?”
“Does your face hurt? It’s killing me.”
(The last two courtesy of the father of my own children, John Bessinger, Jr.)
Quotes from TV Dads
“We are poor, and poor is one of three things people don’t want to be. Right next to sick, and dead.” – James Evans, Good Times
“Big day for you, Deege. Learned how to shoot pool. You bowled your own weight. Found out you gotta spit sideways when you’re riding on a motorcycle. Sure beats TV, huh?” – Dan Conner, Roseanne
“When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like, “whaaat?” – Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
“I don’t want you driving like a normal person. I want you driving like me.” – Danny Tanner, Full House
“It don’t take courage to be a winner. It does take courage to be a good loser. Now you wanna be a good loser, you’ll be proud of your friends that did win, and you’ll congratulate ‘em for it.” – Andy Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show
“Alone, we can only move buckets. But if we work together, we can drain rivers.” – Mike Brady, The Brady Bunch
And my absolute favorite…
“I don’t like you sometimes, but I love you always.” – Todd Chrisley, Chrisley Knows Best
To all of the dads, daddies, papas, granddaddies, papis, etc. out there, we send you warm Father’s Day wishes. You are appreciated!
Christi Wickliffe-Bessinger
Advertising & Marketing Manager
Garden City Realty, Inc.
