Every dad has hobbies, and these nine hobbies are a sign that your father was likely a great man.
The stack by the chair
Reading is a good hobby at any age. That’s real reading, not just checking the newspaper for what’s going on. A dad who always had a book nearby was probably a good one. Why? Because he helped to normalize it for you.
It’s something even research has proven. Kids who grew up around regular readers tend to have stronger vocabulary and reading skills, too. He helped you see reading in a positive way, too.
The private pages
It works the opposite way, too. Sure, you never saw what he wrote. But you knew that the notebook or letter was there. It really doesn’t matter that he might not be good at it. What counts is that he had somewhere to put his thoughts.
Expressive writing helps you process your emotions better. But that’s not all. It’s also great for organizing your thoughts. Yes, he didn’t say a lot out loud. Yet he still made sense of things, behind the scenes.
The camera always came out
You know this type of dad. He’s the one who stops everyone to snap a picture because the light looks good. He’ll take pictures of small things, too, because they caught his attention. No, we don’t mean the kind of guy who uses his phone. This is a dad who actually does photography.
That’s pretty important. Taking photos mindfully actually changes how you experience things. It also helps you remember that better. A dad who photographs isn’t the sort of man to rush through events. He waits to actually enjoy them.
The board with squares
You can’t rush with chess. That’s what makes it a great hobby. Dads who played it seriously had a lot of long pauses. They’d keep picking up the pieces and then putting them down again. The occasional loss didn’t make them frustrated, though.
What makes it such a good hobby? It’s all about how it affects your brain. Chess players have to be patient and able to make decisions under pressure. After all, every move matters. You have to be slow and deliberate. You have to accept your mistakes. That’s pretty powerful stuff.
The tiny parts
Here’s another good hobby for patience. You’ve got to be slow when you’re building a model plane or car, piece by piece. It won’t work if you rush it. That means you’ve got to glue things carefully. You’ll need to paint steadily. However, that’s not all.
Model building’s also linked to having fine motor skills and focus. You’ll also need to have a long attention span. It’s great for a kid to watch, too, since you get a good example of all that. You learn how to approach problems in the same way.
The pair of binoculars
Only patient fathers do birdwatching. Why? Because you’ve got to wait and listen. You’ll notice the small things that most people ignore. It’s part of why it’s such a positive hobby. That, and the fact that research has linked it to better well-being over time.
It even has cognitive benefits. A guy who stops to look up a tree isn’t wasting time. No, he’s noticing things that tend to get ignored or never seen as they should. What a great guy.
The lesson that never ended
The truth is, you should never stop learning. Some dads know that. They’ll learn languages for the sake of learning, or they might read history books to expand their minds. It doesn’t take a genius to know how that helps you.
Ongoing learning also helps your mind later in life. It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything too serious, either. The point is that he kept learning. He knew that he didn’t know enough, so he continued going.
The cold night outside
Your dad might’ve been the sort of man who stood outside at night and looked up through a telescope. It’s easy to dismiss that as nothing. However, think about how much you’ll need to learn just to make sense of what you’re looking at. It’s a lot. It also takes a lot, too.
You’ll need to be willing to give up your time and deal with a little discomfort. After all, the weather’s not always great at night. A man who sticks at it is happy not getting instant results. He knows it’s better being patient.
The bigger box
Many board games take hours to play. Some of them also take a long time to learn, too. You’ll also have to be a good loser to play. But all those things have benefits. Board games are great for your cognitive function and your social skills.
Some dads take them pretty seriously. They’ll be committed to the process and the rules. That sort of consistency probably works out quite well for him in the real world.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
