Re: My Family,

Bob, your family sounds a lot like mine even down to the family vacations. I even had the same type of grandfather who was married several times.

My dad was not one you negotiated with. If he said you couldn't go somewhere or buy something, you did not argue. He had a look he could give that meant the conversation was over. My mom had a little bit more say with him than maybe yours did. I remember when cable tv first came to our neighborhood and my dad said he would NEVER pay for tv and that the 5 channels we received were enough. My mom said we really needed to get cable and he said absolutely not. The next week the cable company was installing cable in our house.

I think most dads were like yours and mine in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s. They were not there to be your "best friend" but to be your father and you respected them. They also put their family first.