. . . is about Father’s Day.

Good column!

Bravo Mr. Hinkle!
My Father was tha quintessential Irish “Quiet Man.” He always smelled of tobacco and chocolate and looked like Ronald Reagan. He never once raised his voice to me but he did a lot of muttering in Latin. He was not required to feed or water or walk any entitity that did not have four legs. He and my Mother were not pregnant together and if he had come anywhere near the delivery room she would have ordered him shot on sight. He would never have dreamed of offering to help me with my homework. That would have implied that I was not capable of doing it by myself, so the subject never came up. He never worried about my self esteem as long as my self confidence and self control were intact. Personal responsibility was paramount. Displayed by him and expected from me. And he knew how to have fun. He taught me how to love the rain. That was only practical in Ireland as it rains every half hour. But the things he could find in a rainpool were nobodys business. He taught me how to play Gaelic football and handle a hurley stick like my brother. He used to say “always play fair, no whinging and if they crowd you give them a good crack with the stick and run like hell.” He loved to drive. We never needed to be going anywhere in particular. He would just get behind the wheel and go. One of his favorite destinations was the Wicklow Mountains. They were gorgeous in the Autumn and we would gather big chestnuts and put them on strings and bash them together. I remember Sunday because that was the only day I would see him. In those days of one income families most Fathers worked 10 and 12 hour days. My Father did that, six days a week. There was no time for going to sports events or dance recitals or elocution contests. Even if a little time could be scrounged up for such occasions most Fathers would fall asleep the minute their backsides hit the chair. Instant snoring chorus. But the absence from our lives was never interpreted as an absence of love. Rather we cherished and stored up and looked forward to every second we could spend with the most important man in our lives. Of course there were bad Fathers ans so so Fathers and absent Fathers in my day too. I guess it sort of goes to prove that times change and mores change and technology changes but people remain the same. I wish every child out there a Father like mine. Happy Father’s Day Dad.
Save a spot on that grassy spot in the Wicklow Mountains for me.

Father’s Day kind of leaves me blank since my father died when I was young. It used to be a sore spot. Go to school. Why does your father do. Pushes up daisies. One day a kid taunted me about being fatherless so I beat him up pretty badly. My mother’s response, “Father or no father, you are grounded, you apologize to him . “
And when you are 18, get a job and get out of the house. “ In retrospect, good parents, bad parents, you still have to take responsibility for your own life.

Firstly, piece well done.

Nah Larry, columnists tend to be good writers, with Bart no exception. (don’t try this at home)

It has a lot to do with the subject. Human interest stories based on personal experience tend to be easiest to write and easiest to read.

The drawback is all the fluff in it.

Some degreee of fluff is good. It makes the “hate mail” inbox volume go down.

(Bart’s Father’s Day present to himself)

I did enjoy reading this column-- those perfect descriptions of the many different types of fathers. Either you: (1.) Are a really good writer when and only when the mood strikes you, or (2.) You just got lucky this once or (3.) You put a year’s worth of work into that column.

But it was good. A Happy father’s day to you.

Hi, Dichelle! Thanks!

My dad was Old Spice, leather, brasso and shoe polish. And I still wear the belt he wore my butt with.

Which in my world was far preferable than being grounded.

Bart, that brought tears to my eyes!  I love how you write and that you take time to write about important things.  One nit to pick… oh never mind--it was a great article!

Hi, Margie!  Missed you!!!!!!

This was very moving. A sulute to all you Fathers out there. You are very much needed, wanted and loved by your kids.

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