As a fun tribute this Father's Day, we've been digging out the vintage snaps and reminiscing about the most memorable nuggets of advice from our dads. Much of it made us laugh, some sayings we still ignore, and a few had us shedding a tear or two. Big thanks to all the dads for all their words, now here are ours...
“Always find a park in the shade.” (Aussie accent) – Our copywriter Gabi’s dad.
“This piece of advice was passed down to my Dad by his father. Dad grew up in tropical Queensland, where leaving the car in the sun meant the steering wheel would be too hot to hold, especially after a few hours surfing. Whenever I'm searching for a parking space after driving to the beach, I remember his advice and try to find a shady spot.”
“See it through” – Our art director Abigail's dad.
“I remember my dad saying this a lot. But then if things got too much he wouldn't want one to suffer through it, so he'd always have an addendum to the above with something to the affect of: “To hell with it, pack it in" or " One foot in front of the other." He was a very balanced, grounded human. A true gentleman.”
“Have fun and good luck.” – Our copywriter Jennie's dad.
“My dad says this relentlessly. He'll send it to me and my sister first thing in the morning or tag it onto the end of any WhatsApp conversation despite what we're talking about. It's come at the end of chats about Covid and all sorts, which makes us laugh. He's always banged on about doing well at school and working hard (which is valuable) but I love that – when it comes down to it – the words I’ll remember most from him are so fun and free.”
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” – Our PR & partnerships manager Holly's dad.
“My dad has always impressed on me the need to think ahead with this saying, which is something I’ve often ignored. Rather than judge when things go wrong he simply laughs and repeats the now useless advice – frustrating in the moment but always said with love. Others include: “Cash is king” and his fashion advice is to always stick to a collared polo shirt (though I spy him breaking his own rules in these pictures!)”
“Keep your chin up, it's never as bad as you imagine.” – Our marketing director Rupert's dad.
“I remember him saying this from a young age whenever we were worried. He's always been incredibly supportive and helped us solve our problems with a calm, caring perspective. Also: "Good sky MacIntyre, well done" – a quote from his favourite film Local Hero which he says without fail every time there's a good sunset or sunrise. Or just when he's happy. Super cute – best person I know.”
“As long as you're safe, warm and happy, do whatever you'd like.” – Our office manager Alice's dad.
“That's a piece of guidance my dad has given me from as early as I can remember and still always tells me. It's advice I pass onto my friends already, but may not pass onto my kids until they are older than I was when I first was told!”
“If it doesn’t make you happy, it’s not worth your time.” (thick Nottingham accent) – Our digital designer Abs' dad.
“My dad and I are extremely similar which has caused a fair amount of love and war between us, but I can always rely on him to pick me up whenever I’m down. His take-no-rubbish attitude has got him into trouble a few times before, but it’s definitely inspired me to always put my happiness first!”
Pen a note of your own to thank the father figures in your life for any words of advice. Our card collection is right this way
