Most of us learned how to drive thanks to our fathers. We grew up seeing what they do behind the wheel and, for some of us, we aspire to be half the driver our dads are. So to celebrate Fathers’ Day, we asked our readers what’s their most memorable car-related experience with their dads.
Not all dads are drivers but they are our biggest supporters.
Bham Bham: “He doesn’t know how to drive because he had a traumatic accident before in Saudi Arabia. When I first parked the car in our garage, he said, loud and clear “Hahaha! Anak ko yan!” Miss you, papa. Happy Fathers Day in heaven.”
Vin De Guzman: “I got scolded by my Dad while I was driving. Funny thing is, he doesn’t know how to drive. Jusko.”
Dad’s tough love molds us into better drivers, apparently.
Garv Quevedo: “Scolded? Screamed and cussed at is more like it. One of those times was when I almost ran our owner-type jeep into a creek. LOL.”
Camelia Torres Ang: “My dad taught me how to drive. While I was trying to balance the clutch and gas at an incline the car died, dad constantly said “Ano ginagawa mo?!” I learned how to drive after three days cause I was terrified of dad.”
Domato Pedrito: “Not just being scolded, I got a free slap at the back of my head on every wrong move.”
Mag Moog: “After a year of lessons, failing and passing to get my license, and eight months more waiting, got a new car with manual transmission. Forgot how to drive it and couldn’t leave the dealership. My dad got mad and drove us home, where I practiced.”
Juanito Galeon: “With me driving like I usually do and him holding on to the passenger grab handle and stepping on the non-existent brakes. With both feet. But he didn’t’ burst into a tirade, said nothing, and acted like nothing happened. And his driving is on the more reckless side. I suppose he knew what he taught me and I learned well.”
Johann Ang: “My dad and I got our new car from the dealer and I drove it home. When we’re in the house already as I was parking the car, I suddenly hit the post with the side mirror and it folded going to the front. My dad just stared at me with a fierce gaze.”
Francis Steven Wong Hen: “The car I’m driving, all of a sudden died in the middle of the road, at the corner of J. Abad Santos St. and Wilson. I think it was my first time to drive him to the grocery. I just didn’t know what to do. but I did not let him know that I’m that stupid. luckily I remembered how to jumpstart it.”
They’re the best teachers, ’nuff said.
Jesus Tison: “We were driving along a lonely provincial highway far from the next town. I was behind the wheel when the car started to overheat. Dad told me to go to the road shoulder and park so he could check the engine, but told me not to shut off the engine. Upon opening the hood, he discovered a radiator leak. So what do we do? He pulled out some Wrigley’s chewing gum and we started to chew while we let the engine cool down. He then used the chewed gum to plug the leak. And how do we replenish the coolant liquid? He got up the car’s bumper, opened his fly, and urinated into the radiator filler. After which he said, “Ikaw naman.” We managed to get to the city and had the radiator repaired. But it did smell funny!”
Marlon C. Soriano: “Driving home from a three-day vacation in Ilocos Sur with the whole family, I fell asleep behind the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic. Luckily my father was wide awake the whole time, he took control of the wheel while waking me up. I thought he was gonna scold me when he said to park near a sari-sari store. He got off the car, went to the store, and bought candies labeled ‘Cry Baby’ and said, “’yan para hindi ka makatulog.”
Bryan Lloyd Datu Limjoco: “I forgot the exact date but around 10 years ago while on our way home, he pulled our Toyota Fortuner over to the side of SCTEX safely, then said, “Saluhin mo” and let me get behind the wheel to drive the rest of the way. It was my first time to drive on an expressway and to drive a vehicle that was bigger than my mom’s Suzuki Escudo (a vehicle that I used to practice on). Of course, how can I forget his constant reminders about the risks on the road especially on the expressway? Nowadays he always reminds me and my siblings to message him and mom whenever we reach our destination when we go to work away from our home province or going to Manila even if we’re already in our mid to late ’20s. Haha. Good old dad always looking out for us.”
Dante Dalisay: “My father didn’t let me sit right away behind the steering wheel when he taught me how to drive. Instead, he initially gave me a month-long and boring automotive lecture. Not really an exciting thing especially for a teenager who’s so eager to drive away. But in the end, it all turned out well for me. Learning to properly drive is one thing. Learning how to drive and knowing how all the vehicle’s moving parts works is another.”
