Walter Wright Thompson Father's Day Article

I'm not a golf person whatsoever, but I think the only sports triad as strong as Dads-Sons-Golf is baseball. And golf might even be more personal. Maybe fishing, too. As a fatherless boy, I think I go with the last one.

 

Everyone-

I'm of the "lurk but don't post" school, a rule which I will break tonight, just this once ...

Thank you so much to each of you who took the time to read and to post your own thoughts/feelings/memories about your own daddy. I was nervous about being this personal and to see that people inside the industry thought it was okay, well, that just means the world to me. Thank you.

-wwt

 

I haven't even read it yet -- I'm heeding y'all's warnings of "reading this in a public place" 8) -- and I just about got choked up reading the line from this post. Damn, damn, damn.

 

I am sniffling, tears running down both cheeks, in my living room and having to explain to my roommate why...

The part that got me? The part about the flashlights. I mean, I had lost a tear or two before that...but that started a full stream down both cheeks.

Amazing work, Wright.

 

Ha. No, just jealous that anyone had a relationship with their father like that.

 

I've always wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with my dad. A real, father-son conversation, where wisdom and insight is passed along. The deepest one we've ever had is "So the Dodgers won last night, huh?" He stutters and so he's introverted. Never helped that my mom would tease him in front of me and my 2 brothers. The man has a million things bottled up inside but those words and ideas will never pass through his lips.

I've tried to spark conversations in the past, to no avail. If any hyperactive boy ever needed a guiding father figure, I was it. But this isn't a violin session. My dad works his ass off and is respected in the industry in which he works; as good as there is in America at what he does, and so he'll always have that going for him.

A relationship with his middle son who wishes he had a father to talk to about life? Not so much. Never.

Looking forward to reading the piece.

 

Moddy, as a boy I wanted to punch her in the mouth. I was so, excuse my French, fucking mad. A few times I got up and left the dinner table. There were times I wish he would've popped her in the mouth, but he'd never do that in front of the 3 boys.

And there's no harm, or offense taken, for the way you feel about my mom doing what she did. It's who she is. Her issues followed her through life, through marriage, and they'll remain with her until the end.

Just once, though, I wish dad would've been a man and put her in her place when she teased him ...

 

He never did it away from us, either.

And I should point out that putting a woman in her place doesn't mean physical violence, or even verbal abuse. I just think he needed to stand up for himself and show some self-respect.