Dad jokes and more: Axios readers share their fathers' favorite sayings
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2023/06/14/1686752400830.gif?w=3840)
Axios Twin Cities readers with their fathers. Photos: Mark D., LindaSue S., JoAnn H., Kari Notaro via Jilly E., Anne R., Joan B., Emily G. and Beth W.
From dad jokes to life advice, Axios Twin Cities readers' fathers are full of "dad-isms" — our self-coined phrase for those things your dad is always doing.
Driving the news: Ahead of Father's Day, we asked you to share trademark sayings, quips and words of wisdom your dad or a father figure in your life imparted when you were a kid.
Zoom in: Some of our favorite submissions were dad jokes…or attempts at them:
- "In the car, he would put his hand on the window and say 'Do you feel the pain?' Pane, of course."
- "'Mention my name; you'll get a better seat,' upon requesting leave from the dinner table to use the bathroom."
- "'Why do you have so many pairs of shoes? You can only wear one pair at a time!' He, of course, only had two pairs — black and brown."
- "If we were standing in front of the television while he was watching it: 'You make a better door than a window.'"
The big picture: Many of you shared your father's life advice.
👀 On conduct: “Always remember to be on your best behavior, because you never know who I will know, or who will know me.”
🤷♀️ On attitude: "I grew up on a farm and times were hard. The one I heard the most was, 'It's never so bad [that] it couldn't be worse.'”
👂 On listening to others: "You can't hear a dang thing when your mouth is wide open!"
💵 On finances: "'Always pay yourself first.' No shock he ended up with kids that have savings accounts."
💪 On working hard: "When we did chores, my brothers and I would complain that the other two guys weren’t doing their share.
- "He would respond with: 'If everyone does just a little bit more than your share, then everything will get done — and you can go have fun.'"
👏 On improvement: "'Always leave a place better than you found it.' Whether that meant picking up that piece of trash or just helping someone out when you saw the chance, it’s a lesson that still sticks with me."
🚽 One piece of advice for the road:
- "Always use the bathroom when you have a chance. You never know when there's going to be another opportunity."
Thanks to Axios Twin Cities readers David S., Bryan O., Emily D., Mark D., Joan B., Jeffrey M., Lola S., Jill E., Melisa J., Trish O., Don N. and Peter A. for sharing.
❓ My "dad-ism" thought bubble: My father tries to work the word "bulbous" into a sentence at least once a day. He's done it my entire life and I still don't know why.