It's always hard losing someone you love.
But when you lose a parent at a young age, that can be especially difficult.
One young woman reached out to the internet, asking for fatherly advice years after her father's death. The internet was ready to reach right back.
Reddit user "InsomniacReaper" clearly believes in the power of fewer words, after posting in the "Ask Men" subReddit an important question and nothing else.
The Reddit user asked:
"My dad passed away when I [female] was 13, I'm 22 now. What is some good fatherly advice you can give me?"
The responses began pouring in, anything from expecting more from love to knowing how to change a tire and file your own taxes.
"Take care of your health, even while you're young. The hill from being out of shape to getting back into shape gets steeper with age, and as you settle into adult life, it tends to be more sedentary unless you make conscious efforts to be active."
"Save money for a rainy day. Save for your future. But don't just save absolutely everything and have no life. Live a little because you never know if tomorrow will come. But you'll want to have funds available for fun stuff if it does."
"And don't settle for a mediocre relationship and get married/have kids just because all your friends are doing it. Give yourself time to get settled into adult life (I'm talking mid-late 20's), and see what your traits and compatibilities are then because they'll likely be quite different than they are now." - devilized
"And just to be clear - doing something for your health can be as simple as drinking water instead of juice, limiting your alcohol intake to four glasses a month or taking a walk around the neighborhood each day."
"And for relationships - know what you want out of them and what they are. Temporary relationships with interesting but flawed people are ok. You just need to make sure that nothing temporary sticks for longer than a half year, and you need to understand the qualities you'll want in someone you'll spend twenty sleepless and difficult years raising kids with. Reliability, competence, tolerance and helpfulness are so incredibly valuable and so easily underrated." - uriejejejdjbejxijehd
"My dad died when I (M) was 13 as well. 24 now. It was an unexpected death and I watched him die right in front of me, ambulance didn't get there in time. I was the only one at the house at the time as well."
"Here's a good piece of advice he told me; 'no matter what other people think of you, you're the only one in the whole world to truly know your morals and what they stand for. So don't let anyone ever try to tell you that your morals are wrong if that's what you yourself stands for, because that's never wrong.'" - BeerWorshippers
"At the same time, listen to what people have to tell you. You might learn something. You probably know who has good intentions and who has not. Avoid people who try to blackmail you emotionally, who play your emotions, especially the ones where you feel something is off, but you can't tell what."
"Most people have good intentions, which doesn't mean they know that they talk about. They're advice may be 100% wrong (think anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers). Don't follow up on every advice, ask around, google or reddit it."
"All in all, sometimes your morals need an update. Don't be afraid to change your opinion, and to admit you're wrong about something." - 2000AMP
"To add to this, if you happen to change your views or morals in life, that doesn't mean you are "fake" or ingenuine. It just means that you are growing as a person, which is something we should all strive to do, to a certain extent." - anchovie_macncheese
Surely this young woman will not be disappointed with all the responses she received. Considering how heartfelt many responses were, she surely won't be disappointed emotionally, either.
The book Pocket Dad: Everyday Wisdom, Practical Tips, & Fatherly Advice is available here.
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