Father's Day in Ames: What is the Best Advice Your Dad Ever Gave You?

The title of the article asks you, "What's the best advice your dad ever gave you?" One of the things I didn't learn from my dad, though, is how to follow instructions.

So, I am going to start by not answering the question.

My dad isn't big on instructions -- on advice. Instead, I can tell you something I learned from my dad: His work ethic.

One of his early jobs was as a draftsman. This was before he had advanced schooling and while us kids were very young.

Add your best advice or best lessons learned from your dad in the comment section below and add a picture of him in the photo gallery.

I remember that he would head out the door with his hot black coffee while us kids were just stumbling out of bed. At night, he worked until late on projects with paperwork spread across the dining room table.

While working, he put himself through school and laid the foundation for a career in engineering.

My starkest memories are not of the time he was home, but the times he was gone, which were many. It seemed he was always on the road -- sometimes one or two weeks out of the month, month after month, year after year.

As I got older it bothered me. At work, the effort paid off with better jobs, nicer offices, being asked to take on more responsibility and more critical projects. But it seemed like family got the short shrift.

When I had my own kids, I began to better understand the decisions he made. I now find myself doing some of the same things, and I say so proudly. 

Dad: Thanks for teaching me to be a stand-up man who does what it takes to provide for the family; thanks for putting in the time to not just do your job but also to do it right and do it well; and thanks for teaching me how create my own path.