Could you work with your father?

fastfredracing · 02-04-2010, 06:22 PM

My dad got laid off early last summer. My parents live in a house that is on the property of my shop. So for the last 8 months, my dad has been hanging around the shop and helping me out, sort of. My dad is just like me , hard headed German hot head, his way is the right way etc, and he is like the terminator , once he is set in motion , there is no stopping him.
He is not a mechanic, and never was, but is an all around car guy, and I can tell , that he probably enjoys his time in the shop as much as anything he has ever done.
While he does some bone headed things once in a while,( don't we all?) and there are times that I nearly crawl out of my skin, but I have to say that I have really enjoyed getting to spend this time with him. We never really got along too good when I was younger, and then life happened, and many years went by where we really did not see each other that much.
When he first started hanging around the shop, I was sort of leary that this would not go so well, but he has been super cool. He has learned when to help, and when it is just best to leave me to my work. We actually work pretty damn good together.
I guess he is getting called back to work in the next few weeks, and I will miss him. It has been a surprisingly good experience.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I work with my dad.... There are times when I just walk out of the shop and go sit on the couch for a few hours to cool off...

legion · 02-04-2010, 06:29 PM

No. Of course, I didn't get a lot of life done before he died.

I did work for him in college. I lasted two weeks before I quit. He didn't want to give me direction, he just expected me to know what he wanted and berated me when I didn't do it. I remember getting directions like "set up a wireless network". This was long before Windows had support for this kind of thing and computers had built-in wireless cards. I didn't know which computers were to be on the network, where to put the router, or how to even do the task.

LakeCleElum · 02-04-2010, 06:34 PM

Never - I was a young teen helping my dad fix a fence when the pigs got out. He asked why I didn't bring more nails......I said something like "Dunno, guess that's your problem"......I ducked when he threw a hammer at me........I left home at 17 the day after HI-school graduation and put myself thru college.........

BlueSkyJaunte · 02-04-2010, 06:34 PM

I had the option of working in the family business, earning a 6-figure salary immediately out of the gate from university, with the likelihood of quintupling that (or more) by the time I was ready to retire.

Instead I moved 2500 miles away and took a job paying $41k with the promise of lots of unpaid overtime.

What do you think?

HarryD · 02-04-2010, 06:37 PM

My dad ran his own manufacturing business, I worked for/with him through college and then went on my own. If I wanted, I could have taken over the business but I had other dreams.

Dad was disappointed but understood.

I look back now and it was great to spend the special time with him.

mikester · 02-04-2010, 06:38 PM

I probably could - not to say we wouldn't infuriate each other but he and my brother and I work fairly well at projects together. I follow his direction well, he gives good directions and kind of listens to my ideas.

I think that is about all one can expect from a father right? To 'kind of listen'? We were putting up christmas lights (we're jewish by the way) at his house back in december and I Was helping him run some wiring and what not - he only listened to my ideas just enough to make them his own. =-)

enzo1 · 02-04-2010, 06:40 PM

enjoy your time with him, so you have no regrets.... let him hang out..... don't ruin it by working together

peppy · 02-04-2010, 06:43 PM

Yes, started when I was 16 and work together until he passed when I was 28.

Damn I miss him.

I also have 2 sisters that work in the family business.

How about moms, now that is tough.

elwood-914 · 02-04-2010, 07:04 PM

No, my dad was never in my life until I was about 25, mainly because he lives in Holland. But he started coming over every couple of years and just used me as a hotel. He was childish and it always had to be his way or I didn't build something right he would tell me what I did wrong. We dont speak anymore.

targa911S · 02-04-2010, 07:28 PM

no, he's dead. That aside, probably not. I miss him though.

A930Rocket · 02-04-2010, 07:37 PM

Probably not.

Been working with my bro for the past 1 1/2 years now and it's been difficult. Lack of communication. Of course it difficult times....

KarlCarrera · 02-04-2010, 07:48 PM

Nope, the original was a bad man. The second was an excellent man.... But he was a Marine Corps Drill Instructor. My Brother and I didn't stand a chance.

Thank God for him!

Never had a day in the armed services, but my brother and I spent 14 (me) and and 16 (him) years in the Marine Corps.

Anybody else been in 'boot camp' that long?

Thank God.

NOW...... he is an excellent man, wasn't sure of that when I was 14 :>)

Karl
88 Targa

Dantilla · 02-04-2010, 08:25 PM

I worked for my dad as a teen, and he instilled in me a strong work ethic that I cannot claim as my own.

He had high expectations, and I was often frustrated, but looking back, he did exactly what was needed to mold me in the proper direction.

At the time, I thought everything I did was for his benefit.

Looking back, I can see that everything he had me do was for my benefit.

Bill Douglas · 02-04-2010, 08:55 PM

My dad died which was his best career move to date. So no I wouldn't want to work with him.

Jim Bremner · 02-04-2010, 08:57 PM

I'm 43 my Dad is 70.

There has never been a day in my life that I do not regret spending with my Dad.

I thought that he was hard when I was young, He wasn't.

The only TWO thing that I could say was bad? I wasn't allowed in the garage until I was 12 or 13!

And once I took apart my coaster brake hub to rebuild it. He came home and found me cleaning the grease out of it. Lost it and sent me to my room.

An hour later he came and got me to say that he couldn't re-asemble it. I did it in 10 minutes.. He had messed it up for me I had taken it apart and laid the parts out on the rag in order.

My Dad now works for me. When I have large orders he comes in and helps me.
He unloads truckloads with me and the kids and doesn't take a break like my sons!

He's one a few men that I could work hand and hand with.

We dug a ditch together at his house one day I had to have been 30 and in the best fitness of my life. It was 100* and we had worked from sun -up to sundown to dig this hell hole. Dad worked ALL day shovel to shovel with me. At the end of the day his hand was outreached to mine to help me to get out of that damn ditch.

He built the engine in my '67 mustang that I've shown pics of as well as helped me with TONS of the work on it.

As repayment on it I took him out to Streets of Willow springs raceway to do a couple of HPDE days in the car. Do you want to talk about role reversal? Imagine straping in your 64 year old Dad in your 364 rwhp car and not sweating on what the car could do to your Dad as well as what your Dad could do to your car!

( All 4 of my sons have and can and do work for/with me, 1- my wife's youngest has a hard time with me. )

My life is very good!