Seeing as Kids don't learn nuffink noway in the school these days, I have kinda taken upon myself to 'school' my kids in those icons of culture that i feel necessary to help them progress into being well rounded individuals.

Usually this involves sitting down over the after meal coffee and with the help of google and youtube explaining all those things they didn't get shown in school.

Like "Not The 9 O CLock News" (which we covered last night) or this evening we just did "The Blues Brothers".

Of course this also involved their 6ft skinhead dad pretending to put on imaginary trilby and dancing around the room to "Everybody needs Somebody"

Show them their Dad is still well COOL! That he still has THE MOVES!!111

So does your Dad do the same or would it just embarrass the fuck outta you?

This embarass the fuck outta me anytime my dad tries to act or talk like a teen.
Yeah, it's really embarassing for me, my brother and my sister.

Jackketch, i respect what you're trying to do but for the sake of whatever sanity your children still retain please desist.

My dad does fuck all.

My dad left when I was too young to remember... I'd probably have been happy enough for him to do that.

I find the idea of a man having any controll over my upbringing,education or wellbeing rather frightening.

Nope.
The only time my dad teaches me things is when its about hunting, guns, or trucks. He doesn't even know how to turn on a computer, and doesnt want to. He can hardly change the damn TV channel.
I think the sight of my dad dancing would get me some good laughs, then a punch to the nose.

youtubing w/ kids: cool
Singing and Dancing: less (dare I say un)cool.

I like the idea of culturing the kids though.

My Dad will go "there's a really good film on BBC2 at xyz time, you'll probably like it" and usually I'll either make an effort to watch it or I'll go "I've seen it a few times anyway."

But from the age of 8 or 9, my Dad knew that he didn't need to school me in his bastions of culture. I was putting on Pink Floyd and old school Santana through choice because I'd sit down and listen with him when he put it on.

Only things I haven't really sat through yet that he would want me to watch are Casablanca, Citizen Kane (not quite as important to him). Eventually I will but it's usually a case of it's already half an hour in by the time I find its on.

It'll usually be me putting on youtube to make him chuckle/interest him.

Singing and dancing = win

All my Dad does is drink coffee, brood, and wander around lost in his dream world...

Like so many other good, patriotic Americans.

My mother does things like that sometimes.
Yes, it is embarassing.
But hell, I'll be doing it to my kids (not only that, I plan on being the dressing gown, hair rollers, bunny slippers stand out the front of the school waiting to drive you home kind of mum) so who really gives a shit.

My dad was a seventies hippy. He still goes to concerts and festivals, hits on all my friends and dances like a demented harpie at parties.

My mates all think he's really cool but me and my mum just cringe and pretend we don't know him.

Still his record collection is just wicked and if I want a bit of weed I know where to go!

Yeah my dad doesn't like try to be cool he just is. Like its weird me and my sister just turned out a lot like him even in tastes of music and movies.

I don't live with my dad at the moment, but to be honest, I always wished my dad would just do something like that instead of being how he was, what sucks even worse is he only just recently got the hint that we all left him not because of the money but because of him and is only now starting to try and change when it's already too late to change anything.

My dad died of an apparent overdose when I was eight. I suppose if he was still alive he'd be singing and dancing. It depends on how much coke/meth he'd be on, though.

'Ketch, I respect what you do for your kids. I mean, my step-dad never danced. He never really wanted to spend time with us outside of watching the T.V. and the occasional "Stop being a queer." I wish my step dad would do those things for me. I suppose insults double as affection, though. Right?

My dad is an introvert like me. So it would embarass me as I dont like doing anything with him except technical shit like fixing engines.

Rarely he will do stuff like that like watching crazy shit from the 70's.

Never had a good relationship with him as he always worked and was in a bad mood because of it. Little spoiled kids getting whatever they want, screaming, etc when you are working your ass off isnt exactly conducive to a good home life. As such, I'm hardly a good candidate to share much with this thread aside from Ed Wood movies and H. R. Puffinstuff.

My dad would just get drunk and sing semi-racist songs like that CCR song about cotton. My parents like system of a down, K-os and Sublime too.

I think that's a good thing to teach your kids shit. My parents never taught me anything except and little bit of hustling 101 and the best music to listen to.

Indeed. It is said it is better to be hated than to be unknown.

Your kids didn't know who the blues brothers were? :(
You've done the world a favor, Jack.

By the way, one of the plus sides to being an American is that I got to see those guys live, when I was a kid. :P

My dads dead, so no. WTF do they teach in school there. We did the blues brother last week. Currently doin the chasers war on everything.

Yes, my father did this CONSTANTLY, and he STILL does. He loves to tell anyone (espeically myself, sister and our friends) about all sorts of often useless information. Hes favourite subject, which he talked about more so when we were kids was music.
Every
Single
Song that was on the radio or that he had playing which he enjoyed, was accompanied with a run down on the band, who had OD'd/married/left etc etc etc. This always happened while we're in the car, he's always had nice car stereos for this very reason.

Another favourite subjects of my dad is food, since he really enjoys cooking random stuff from recipe books. My best friend is a chef, and like my parents 3rd daughter and is always called into the kitchen by my dad to observe and help him (or rather so he can have someone to talk to). only about 6 of my mates are used to his manner, they think its funny but were quite nervous of him at the start lol

He's the sole reason that I've never introduced my parents to any of my boyfriends because hes quite extroverted and one of those people you have to see to believe, he makes a lot of people nervous because hes quite chatty.


So yeah, don't scar your children for life.

Believe me.. I got it, still get it, will always get it..

I know every line to every Molly Ringwald movie.. I was taught the electric slide when I was a year and a half.. Don't even get me started on New Order and Journey.. I know most music from the 80's by band, album, and track upon a segment.. I was given out-of-date dating advice and etiquette..

I could go on and on.. :p

lol, my dad's like a brother to me. We always wind eachother up..

for example in the car the other day i was eating a pack of those "love heart" sweets and he wanted on, so i gave him one and it said "touch me" on it..i didn't know and he was tying to get at me and my mum was like "WTF?!"

was funny lol

such things arent necessary for americans. we are able to pick up cultural tidbits quite easily, and from infinite sources, without having to watch some immature bald jackass dance around. and get a bowler hat you fucking limey, its the true "im a dumbass englishman with no style" classic. hell compared to fedoras even trillbys are lame, so i guess youre not too out of line with your shitty culture's norms. whats with you decayed-tooth has-been schmucks and your complete lack of hat fashion?

edit: just saw that your trilby is 'imaginary'. what a faggot.

Most of my education took place at home, same for my siblings.
It's always good to provide some little extra learnin'.
I came to appreciate good music, old tv, baking, and crafty things.
My vocabulary and pronunciation is also pretty good.
I do think that my generation miss out, so you do well Ketch.

I picked up a lot by proxy when my dad was around (which was far from being a given), and he'd always indulge my curiosity when I asked questions, but never really sat me down and talked to me about these things. I guess he thought I was too young; even at 6 or 7, I hated being underestimated, I'd very much have liked to hear about the things from his past he could have told me about, I just didn't know the questions to ask.

It's too late now, though, I've barely seen him since I was 8. I was never close enough to my stepdad to have this kind of thing (although he introduced me to Not The 9 O' Clock News, which is something I'm thankful for) and now there isn't anybody, which suits me well enough. My mother doesn't proactively do it either, although we'll chat about music and things if she ever hears me listening to music she listened to when she was my age. That's about as far as it goes, really.

My father is one of those ignorant opionated people that can't quite figure out he doesn't know it all. He lectures me on historical things he has patchy knowledge on and will get upset if I correct him or have a difference of opinion. He's told me I'm not allowed to express a different opinion to him in his own house...he can't have a debate without getting personally offended and turning it into an argument.

An example is when he talks about Irish history (he lives in Ireland). He also gives me shit because my grandad on my mothers side was an Orangeman, so he calls me "Dirty orange bastard" and the like. Which is all well and good, but if i turned to him and said "backwoods potato farming pope kisser" he'd go off his nut.

And for the record I don't have anything against paddys (except your boring terraced houses and poor cuisine:p), just an example.

You fail at life dickhead.

You fail at life dickhead.

Why do americans see faggots everywhere? Is it some suppressed desire? Overcompensating projection of their own inner turmoil? If everyone else is gay then they might be able to come out or get some homoerotic sexing?

I think he sounds nice. :)

Thats one side of him.


The other is his temper, and that's not so nice :o

Simply introducing your kids to cool stuff like Monty Python, Kurt Vonnegut, and R.E.M. will do. No need to make an idiot out of yourself.

not really, he used to try to talk about really odd things like the latest morse key he built or initiate conversation about some tedious crap, but he doesn't bother anymore. i listen to his cds a bunch, he has tonnes and some are quite good, he just yells to put it back in the right place and not damage it.

It's cool as long as they're still what you would consider "kids".

Im 16.
My dad is so INSANELY annoying, he's cool and all, he really tries to be funny, but he always ends up annoying the fuck outta me. He also likes to educate me about all sorts of useless crap.

You should of course help them with stuff when they ask for it, but there is nothing more irritating than some jerk suddenly trying to teach you something which you do not give a shit about.

My dad also likes to try and act funny when he spots my friends. It's not that i feel "embarrased" like most retard teenagers, i just kinda feel sorry for him. He thinks they think he's funny, but honestly, they think he's stupid. Which he seems to be, but really isn't.

Awww, this thread makes me think you should appreciate your father's more, even when they're shitty... it's worse for the people who can barely remember them or who have no contact!

I suppose I used to be kinda irritated when my dad was embarrassing and "annoying" but I don't mind as much any more, I just humour him. I don't think what you did would really annoy me as a kid, but then in all likelihood you do that shit all the time Jack, as fathers often have their "favourite tricks" or style of humour... so I would think they're just a bit fed up of it, and it makes them cringe a lil' :p

My dad's a great guy really; he's this really really smart ex solicitor/English teacher/worker for some council department, he's had tons of interesting experiences in his life, and he knows more than well... pretty much anyone i've ever met. Just downstairs a few hours ago, my mother was doin' the crossword, the clue was "type of rope (6)" and he'd said it in about 3 seconds. He's a bore, that's his only problem, he'll tell his lame jokes and try and get us all to laugh (they're funny, he's a funny guy, but it can get a bit too much!!) at some political situation or his comparison to the past. He has about 100 different jokes or style of joke which he rotates through VERY regularly, although tbh, he's always funny at some point. The worst thing is when my dad pretends to be a Jamaican and starts talking about shooting niggers in front of people... then it's just a litle bit... weird.

He's an author and a student anyway, so he's bound to be a bit of an eccentric... he doesn't really have many friends actually, he prefers sitting about and bitching and criticising and being a smart arse (something i guess i've kinda inherited). My dad is just interested in so much stuff though, he's just really helpful... anything i'm doing at school that is vaguely interesting, or any book i've read or want to read he'll pretty much have some knowledge of, and we have great conversations which go on hours.

The flip side of this is sometimes I just don't want to spend time with him, and there's not actually that much we can do together, i mean sure, we see the odd film and stuff, but appart from that things are a bit limited. He's a creative guy, and whilst his interests are widespread, they don't always coincide with mine; he doesn't really listen to music any more, and definitely not the stuff of his youth (Stones, Beatles etc), he doesn't drink much or take drugs, he doesn't go to the pub.... so it's weird. I want to be closer to my dad, but at the same time I know that really it's not that easy to do, although next year i'm sure as hell gonna try - maybe force him to go to the pub or go on bike-rides or something if I get a bike, or perhaps if I can be bothered go to the gym.

I guess really the question is - how do you entertain a cynic, who's pretty damn funny and good at entertaining himself? Bah, he's a great dad, for all his flaws, although he can be a right cunt in arguments, especially when he sides with my mum over something he's not involved in, or throws a hissy fit over trivial stuff! :)

Jack, I think your kids will appreciate you more as they get older, btw.

Dear jack it is best to give your munchkins a little nudge into this um"culture" rather then taking them on a guided tour.

Besides they'll think they have freedom that way.

Thanks to my dad, I know random-ass historical tidbits about my town. How that technical college used to be a Sears. And that an Arby's used to be on so-and-so corner and he worked there.

That's about all he's done, for the most part. We hardly talk anymore.

the clue was "type of rope (6)" and he'd said it in about 3 seconds.

You do realise this has been bugging me now for days, don't you ??!

TELL ME NOW OR FEEL MY WRATH!

my dad does that sort of stuff-historical tidbits etc
I've realised that I really appreciate this showing an interest
Jack, I'm sure your kids would rather have an embarrassing dad than a deadbeat!
btw type of rope- string?

i think its a good idea to be an involved parent and teaching your kids stuff thats not taught in school. thats actually pretty much the definition of beign a good parent. however, making an ass of yourself by dancing and prancing around will lose their respect and they will ultimately see you as a clown instead of a father figure. So, keep doing what your doing, just without the dancing stuff. You dont need to try to act "cool." your their father, if you hang out with them and show them interesting stuff, that will make you cool

It really embarrasses me when my parents do anything trying to act like a teen. My mom is always trying to act like she's my friends' friend. I hate it.

You do realise this has been bugging me now for days, don't you ??!

TELL ME NOW OR FEEL MY WRATH!

Hahahaha.

Yes, I know that "internet's at the back of my mind" feeling oh too well :p

Ok, to relieve your anguish I asked my dad again, as I too had forgotten. I'm some what impressed that the ol' bugger could still remember what he was on about :p

Anyyyyyyway, it's "hawser (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hawser)"

He does the cryptic crosswords for..... fun, too