June 2018

What did you learn from your father?

Father’s Day is fast approaching and many of us are trying to think of the ideal gift for the man who has everything. Well the good news is that we have the perfect solution! But let’s look at that in a minute.

Let’s first take a look at why we should bother in the first place? What does Father’s Day mean? Is it just more rampant commercialism?

There are various supposed origins of Father’s Day. In fact the Catholic feast day of St Joseph has been used in Europe to celebrate fatherhood from the Middle Ages. But Father’s Day as we know it seemed to have begun in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, where parishioners desired to have a day – similar to Mother’s Day – to honour fathers.

So, Father’s Day is the idea opportunity to say thank you to our dads. Each one is unique and our life story with them is also unique.

Have a think now: what did you learn from your father? Maybe you have a life passion that is something he passed onto you? Maybe some practical skill that you are thankful for every day? Or maybe there is some aspect of his character or personality that you also find yourself doing.

Just for a bit of fun, we’ve been asking friends and family about what people have learned from their fathers. Here are just a few of the responses they came up with when asked the question “What did you learn from your father”:

• A love of music. “There was always music playing in our house – from classical music to The Beatles – and my father was also a keen musician himself, playing the violin and piano. Having so much music going on got me interested too, and it’s now one of my major passions.”
• To think before I speak. “My father was the proverbial strong silent type. He didn’t react instantly but carefully considered what he was going to say before he said it. Which meant that when he did say it, it had much more impact.”
• To wire a plug! “When I was young and you bought a new electrical device it did not have a plug. So you had to buy one and attach it; I think sometimes you even had to buy the fuse separately. But learning these basic skills so early on has given me a confidence in my ability to tackle any practical task, and this still helps me today.”
• Tolerance. “Even when I was young my father would gently question my assumptions and value judgements. He did it in a way that made you think, and perhaps re-evaluate your attitude. For example after picking me up from a party one day I eagerly quizzed him on whether he had seen the host – “the fat girl”. His response was that he had in fact seen a sensible girl helping people to find their coats. Hopefully his attitudes have helped me to become a better person.”
• The value of the old saying that if a thing’s worth doing it’s worth doing properly. “My father did not do things quickly but he did them well. Putting up shelves, for example, would take ages because he would do all the measurements and the plumb line and even mark with pencil on the wall exactly where everything needed to go. I would just have gone straight to the wall and started nailing brackets in. But guess whose shelves fit better!”



The above are just a few examples and we’re sure that you have many more of your own. Various other friends have quoted things that they definitely didn’t – or wouldn’t want to – learn from their fathers. Things including cooking, fashion sense, ability to tell jokes – and of course “Dad Dancing”!

But on the whole it seems that Father’s Day is a good time to reflect and be thankful for all that our fathers mean to us and all that we have learned from them.

So, back to that ideal gift! Why not celebrate your father, and the uniqueness of your relationship, by having a family portrait done? At Venture Studios we offer a range of photography experiences which you can book directly through our website. Why not have a look at them now and see which would suit you and your dad best this Father’s Day? Then if there is any other information that you need do not hesitate to contact us at Venture Studios.



We can promise that you will both have great fun during the experience itself ; and you will also come away with some wonderful photographs that will provide you with happy memories for years to come.