Help!!!!

[Barmaid]

We are having a belated party for my father's 65th at the weekend and it has just been decreed that I am giving the speech and toast (I kind of assumed one of my uncles would do it but my mother can't stand them "pontificating"). What the hell am I going to say?! Obviously he is the bestest dad in the world and we are exceptionally lucky to have him, but I just don't know how to pitch this or what to say!!! Any suggestions?! I give speeches every day of my life, but I am not emotionally connected with them.

Any suggestions, please? Any jokes (not too risque)! Needs to be short and pithy!

[dot.haukes]

Find out how bad he was at school, that's so long ago you could make allsorts up

[NoK]

What the hell am I going to say?!
______________________________________



well you never seem to have a problem on here

[madmaggot]

Say what you feel. I wish I had the chance to tell my dad how I felt about him. You always think there will be plenty of time for that but my dad died suddenly and I never go chance to tell him what a great childhood he and mum gave me.
There must be a few anacdotes from your childhood that you can bring out to lighten the mood as well.

[Barmaid]

Cheers Dot. I am going to phone his siblings tomorrow to dig up some stories, my brother and sister are also having a thought.

NoK - thanks, but I am not sure my dad's family and friends need or want to know about my love of booze and shoes.

Madmaggot - you are right - and part of it WILL be what he means to me and my siblings cos he is very special to us. And always there. We all say how lucky we are with our parents.

[phillipa.d]

Hi barmaid!

Why not ask each of the uncles to contribute their favourite 'Dad' memory beforehand? That way you may get a good mix of funny anecdotes and sentimental stories, but you can edit and / or shorten them as necessary so they have the right amount of 'punch'. Then I think if you add the line from above "obviously he's the bestest Dad ever and we are lucky (or proud) to have him" and I think that would sound asolutely lovely!!

My Dad is 65 in December too - aren't they just the greatest?

Good luck and hope you have a lovely evening! :)

pip xx

[Barmaid]

You are right Pip. And thanks. I am going to phone his brothers and sisters tomorrow - methinks I may have to edit the story about him chasing his sister round the kitchen table with the carving knife and putting his pet rat in his other sister's bed though!!!! I've got a couple of funnies (like blowing up the local petrol station and wrecking his mother's Jaguar trying to pull a tree down). He's really quite staid now though and thinks me and my sister are terrible - but he loves us just the same!!!!!!

[pericat]

hi barmaid - maybe you could buy some stuff online and adapt it with your own stories - http://www.speech-writers.com/birthday-speeche s.htm?cat=44 - dont know if i did that right

[China Doll]

I was best man at my dads wedding (don't ask, safe to say he loves me a lot), in the two mintues I had to make up a speech I mentioned how proud I was of him and how much I loved him... THis was off the cuff but the most important things I will ever have to say about my father, he's my hero.

[Barmaid]

That's probably the way to do it China. When I did a speech last year for my grandparents' diamond wedding I had about 3 weeks notice and still made it up as I went along. My grandmother and mother were in tears, and everyone else was hysterical. Reckons I will give it some thought, toss some ideas around, drink 3 glasses of champagne and then just make it up as I go along.

Actually, its nice to hear how other people think of their dads. There have been some touching posts on this thread. I do know that I have a unique opportunity to say what we all (not just me, but my siblings - with whom I will agree everything, my mother and my grandparents (his parents in law who are very close to him) think of him.

[China Doll]

Sounds bad but I basically thought of my fathers failings to me when I was a child (of which there are many) but the man he is today... Well, that's the father I always wanted and I always knew was there... he's my dad, I love him. There should be nothing more simple to communicate... Have a great day and don't over think it.