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Why the hell do dad's do what they do?

kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
For years, growing up. I heard my dad bitch, that his father, would do this project or that project around the house and wouldn't ask my dad for help. You know, when my gramps was 60-70-80 and cleaning gutters, sweeping chimney's, landscaping, pouring concrete, taking trees down, etc. It was always, he shouldn't be up there when I could be instead, he shouldn't move all that dirt with out help, he shouldn't blah blah blah when I live 3 miles down the road and can help him.

Fast forward to adulthood, I'm the oldest of 4 boys. Gramps passed away a few years back, and dad's into his early 60's. All 4 of us have at one point in time worked for the "family" business that I and one of my other brothers started back in the 90's (Lawncare/property management/tree removal, etc). All 4 of us live within 10 minutes of pops.

Today, dad, decided he would cut a tree down, of course he didn't need help, nor did he want his boys (2 of whom still do trees) to climb the tree and limb it down properly. Nah, in all his years of dropping trees (he's heated with wood my entire 35 years) he figures this one just needs a few ropes and he'll be able to bring it down no problem.

Except, according to mom, he just took out half the garage.

Hey dad, you got 4 kids who would have loved to help you take the tree down!! (or put the dock and boat hoist in, or take it out, or help you pour that new patio, or etc etc etc...
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
MMike said:
Mom's exaggerate
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Indeed, but the whole point of my venting/ranting, is that had he simply asked for one of his kids to help out......

Dear Dad,

Stop killing yourself doing shit on your own, call your kids for help.

Signed,

Your kid.

Back to your regularly scheduled shit.
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
CBJ said:
Well my dad has turn into the same prick as his own dad so yeah. I hope I will do a little better.
Click to expand...
Thats the thing, gramps was cool as fuck, he just worked himself to death as he got older and it pissed my dad off. Now my dad's still cool as fuck, but working himself to death when he could just ask for help.
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,878
4,221
Copenhagen, Denmark
Well maybe this is what he wanted and is just trying to have some fun. Everything is done around the house so now he needs to break shit to have something to do.
 
AngryMetalsmith

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,230
10,104
I have no idea where I am
Stubourn old men ? Shocking.
My Dad is 77 and is finally reconsidering the whole riding while being legally blind thing. Took a near fatal crash followed by a heart attack to get his attention.

The nice people at the Cardiac Rehab had to constantly remind him to slow down.

Good Luck
 
dan-o

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
It's just a "Fuck, I'm getting old" thing.
Let the poor bastard carry on as he wishes and smile when you clean up after him.
 
ICEBALL585

ICEBALL585

Bacontard
Sep 8, 2009
6,805
2,045
.:585:.
Sounds like a story about my wife's grandfather a few years back...

My wife's grandfather is an old farmer in his 80's who doesn't like to bother anyone by asking for help (stubborn old farmer thing). He hurt his neck a few years back and had to wear a neck brace for a few weeks. He had fallen off the chicken coupe (twice in a row) while holding a running chainsaw because he was trimming tree branches and lost his balance. He's lucky he didn't cut one of his own limps off. Funny thing was that one of his own sons (my wife's uncle) was there to hold the ladder to get up onto the chicken coupe for him. WTF.
 
kazlx

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
I love my dad, but it seriously takes like 4 times as long when he helps. Thankfully, my mom wouldn't let him go up on the roof the other day to install an HD antenna. She had my brother and me come do it.
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I didn't take any pics. I didn't want to piss off pops, he already felt shitty enough.

Mom exagerated a little, but suffice it to say he'll be making an insurance claim.

We took the second tree down, took the 5 of us all of an hour to climb, limb, fall, buck and chip the tree (pretty good sized poplar, probably 24" diameter at the base and "tall".

Anyway, it's down, just frustrates me he won't save himself the headache of trying to do things on his own when we'd gladly help him out.
 
jdcamb

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,838
8,438
Nowhere Man!
It used to frustrate me when my dad would try to take on big projects. I was always able to take care of most projects myself. Now that I am older I can no longer take on big projects. I sometimes need help. That frustrates me to no end to involve others in my projects. I am a control freak and hate to relent to others. I am just like my dad.
 
johnbryanpeters

johnbryanpeters

Hero
Sep 27, 2001
36,102
16,550
Making moss sad in New Haven, Vermont
So as a stubborn old son of a bitch, I like working by myself since I can concentrate.

I don't like distractions if I'm moving heavy machinery or boulders or trying to suss out how a widowmaker's likely to fall or dancing when it decides it wants to go another way.

At the same time, I'm aware that I'm not getting more spry or more mentally acute, and both of those facts are intensely annoying and tend to incur denial to one extent or another.
 
O

OffCamber

Monkey
May 27, 2005
405
6
Loxahatchee, Fl
He was worried about it falling on his garage during a ice storm. He dropped it the next day with my brother. He's definitly old school. It snowed pretty good in Ga. this year and my mom sent me a video of him while it was snowing. He was out there picking up fallen branches. Love him, always busy. Lol
 
jstuhlman

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,695
13,049
Cackalacka du Nord
My parents are in their mid-70s; until last year whenever they got substantial snow (which is pretty frequent in ME), my mom would go out the second story window to clear snow from the sunroom roof below. She had a rope around her waist that my Dad was supposed to be holding in case she slipped. He's insanely absent-minded. Just thinking about it cracked me up. I have no doubt that if she slipped she'd take him through the window and off the roof with her. :rofl:
 
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