What have you learned from your father?

We’ve recently enjoyed some much needed time away on a family vacation, while my MIL is in town from England. We wanted to go somewhere nearby so headed down to Gatlinburg (since we’ve never been!) and got a quiet secluded cabin in the mountains. We had a lot of fun and I really didn’t want to come back, mostly because I knew the amount of things on my TO DO list was too long to bear thinking about. It was so nice to literally “unplug” from the world and not worry about what had to get done…for those of you who know me, you know how much I needed this!

So while I was down in the Great Smoky Mountains, I decided to try and finish this new book I started a few weeks ago. It had been on my mind a lot lately because, with Father’s Day around the corner it really got me thinking about my own father.

The name book is: “In Search of Fatherhood” by Kevin Renner.

If you read one Father-Daughter book….this is THE one. Here’s a little background:

Author Kevin Renner woke up one day with one glaring realization: he didn’t know his daughters very well, and at ages 9 and 13, they would be off to high school, to college, to their own lives within a few short years.

When Kevin asked himself “What does a good father look like?” and no answer came to mind, he decided to find out. He interviewed 50 women from around the world for In Search of Fatherhood. The book is the first step toward his goal of having a lasting influence around the world on fathers, daughters, and their relationships. The process taught him the importance of tough love, and how everything that he does as a father, and that every father does, communicates in subtle yet lasting ways.

I loved the summary of short stories, it’s easy to read it in 5-10 minute intervals (i.e. bathroom breaks IF you can get a break without the kiddos busting in to join you! Let’s face it, sometimes that’s the ONLY time we get to read! ha!) In every one of these stories you will learn something profound about how each of these 50 women have learned from their fathers.

Some women have relived the most amazing stories of their fathers and have learned how to perservere and have grown up to be confident, hard working women. There are some women who have learned how to deal with sexual abuse, death and growing up in poverty. There’s no doubt that every father has an overwhelming affect on their daughters (good or bad!) and this book in an invaluable resource for both fathers and daughters!

As I was reading this book, it really made me think of my own father and how he’s helped to shape my life. I’ve always been pretty close with my dad and my brothers usually call me a “daddy’s girl”. So what has he taught me? Here are a few memories that stand out to me…

• He taught me how to date. I’ve always had super “high standards” for men I dated and if they didn’t treat me with respect, I never thought twice about walking away. He taught me to never date anyone I couldn’t marry.
• He taught me how to love, through watching him love my mother. It was a pretty awesome role model growing up to see how marriage should work. They’ve been married for over 30 years and there’s not a lot of people I know my age who don’t have divorced parents.
• He taught me everything I know about my faith, and how important it is in life.
• “Make your words soft and sweet, because you never know when you are going to eat them”.  He used to tell me this all the time. (sometimes he still does!)

Jennie has a unique view on this topic because she’s not particularly close with her father and will write about the tough lessons she’s learned from her father and will weigh in on what she thought of the book! What I’d love to know from you is what you’ve learned from your father?

This would be a great book for a Father’s Day gift! Get your own copy here!