[QUOTE=DJD;540732]Excellent post! I'm guilty of the same stuff. We didn't show or express a lot of feelings growing up. I think it was having a career Navy man as a father and an Asian mother who took no crap. They gave me plenty of rope to hang myself and I did quite often but the "touchy feely" stuff wasn't there as much as with other families.

I raised my older daughter with more of a hands on with my feelings and will do so with my youngest but it's not second nature for me to cuddle up with them....I do work at it and it's awesome.

I never told my dad I loved him until 6 months before he passed. It tore me up because I finally said it but I did it because I knew we would lose him soon. I'm eternally grateful I did it and he knew I did but it wasn't our way. He couldn't bring himself to say it to me but I understood. He cried like a baby when I told him I loved him and his tears and sobbing said to me how much he did....he was a tough man from a tough time.

Good stuff brother. Hope you have a wonderful Merry Christmas and wish you the best in life, your a good dude. [/QUOT


As you know my Dad was the same as yours, WWII Sea Bee and just like you described. I was the baby of four and as easy ''sometimes'' as my Mom tried to make it for me he counter balanced that BIGTIME. Much later in his life we became somewhat closer and I am grateful for that but I regret many things I should have done with him and didn't.

Good post Don, sharing that was awesome man and it obviously meant very much to him that you told him, he told you to with his tears.

Thank you for the kind words and back at you my friend.


God bless you and your family as well and Merry Christmas.