Great Dads

My father has been dead now for 10 years.  No worries, because he lived to the ripe old age of 90 and was more than willing to leave sooner.  He deserved a good rest.  I've written about him before.
 I think of him most around his birthday which is the day before Remembrance Day.

He was an interesting person, very witty, charming when he wished to be, but also extremely volatile -- perhaps not the best role model for a father.  So I was fortunate to have some great examples of  fathers provided by television shows that influenced me throughout my childhood, and provided great role models.  Sadly, in today's television wasteland there are a lot fewer examples of excellent fathers to point to.

Here were my favourite Dads on television when I was growing up.  But keep in mind, I only had one channel for most of my childhood, so not as many programs were available to me until much later.

The Andy Griffith Show, Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor

with Ron Howard as son Opie

My Three Sons, Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas

Little House on the Prairie, Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls

The Cosby Show, Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable

The Waltons, Ralph Waite as John Walton, Sr.

These TV dads were calm and caring, always there when they were needed with exactly the right thing to say. (No wonder - they had great writers!)  I know that in reality, no real-life Dad could compete with these paragons, but I still think it's important to have something to aspire to, rather than settling for what modern television shows seem to reflect as the reality of today.  A growing child needs a role model, especially if there aren't many good examples close to home.  

I love this selection of great Dad moments from the movies, courtesy of Movieclips :

Here's a big hug to all the Dads out there.  Just keep doing the best you can.  

Your kids will love you for it!