DEAR ABBY: Raising children takes patience and a lot of humor. I'm passing this tongue-in-cheek tribute to fathers along to you hoping that you will print it for Father's Day. -- A FRIEND IN IRVINE, CALIF.
DEAR FRIEND: It is both humorous and touching, and oh, so true. I'm pleased to share it:
A TRIBUTE TO FATHERS
My father when I was age ...
4: My daddy can do anything.
5: My daddy knows a whole lot.
6: My dad is smarter than your dad.
8: My dad doesn't exactly know everything.
10: In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different.
12: Oh, well naturally, Father doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
14: Don't pay attention to my father. He is so old-fashioned!
21: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out-of-date.
25: Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long.
30: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.
35: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
40: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise and had a world of experience.
50: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.
-- ANONYMOUS