Just because you had a bad fatherly experience doesn't make fathers overrated. A large majority of dads aren't assholes believe it or not.

My dad died of glioblastoma multiform stage 4 brain cancer when I was 12. He was not overrated. I got my artistic abilities from him and I'm very glad I did. It's a memory to carry with me. Just because yours wasn't there doesn't mean you can say that dads are overrated.

My dad defended our village singlehandedly from an invading group of Rakdos marauders. Soo not overrated.

That's like saying all doughnuts are bad because I ate a bad one. Dads are humans, some make really bad choices, but definitely not all of them are inherently rough.

As a dad, I was incensed after I read comment #1. My presence in my children's lives is most certainly NOT overrated. Studies show that children are MUCH better off when they have a father around. I'm sorry your experience with your father sucked, but it's completely skewed your view on parenting. I hope that view is fixed before you have children of your own.

Playing devil's advocate for #1: It's more a question of the worth of a BAD dad in the kid's life.

Doc-Actually, it has been proven that children need more of people who love them than a mom and a dad. There are many children who have no father or no mother and they are just as better off as children who have both parents. Children aren't wired like adults; as adults we tend to believe in black and white, mother, father. Children believe in love, not titles or genders. I guess it depends on which studies you believe! :) I do agree dads aren't overrated, but I am sorry you had a terrible father #1. I know the feeling of a parent who isn't there. However, I believe good parents are amazing gifts to children and I applaud anyone who steps up and takes responsibility, cared and nurtures a child!

Sorry you had a bad experience with your dad, but don't let that spoil your opinion of every dad on the planet. Yes some are bad, but the good and better still the awesome ones are not over-rated. I'm lucky to have an awesome dad, an if it wasn't for him i'd have given up a long time ago.

34, this argument is kinda pointless. Person gets exactly one biological dad, and can't choose. So if somebody's dad is an ass (or is absent because parent divorced), it won't help even if all other dads in the world are saints.

My dad died when I was five years old and he basically worked himself to death trying to support us. The stress just made had such a toll on him. I remember he would get called into work at midnight and wouldnt be back until dinner the next day.It's really rude to say that dads are overrated just because you're mad at yours. And you have to remember there are two sides to every story.

Yes, lets just judge every father out there based on yours. Very mature.

i really hate the generalizations people do on this site. #1 was obviouslly saying if you have a shit dad there's no reason to have him in your life, not that all dad's are overrated. i do not know my sperm donor but have had a wonderful relationship with my step dad and other male role models. and to generalize you need an actual dad to grow up healthily is just stupid. that doesnt happen in the modern world folks:)

I grew up without a father and it wasn't overrated. It ******* sucked. There isn't anything worse than not having a positive male role model in your life if your a boy. My grandmother was my mom and dad, although she was amazing, but I still needed that male in my life. I turned to the streets for a role model. Nothing is good about a drug dealing and gang banging father figure. Now that I have kids, I would NEVER leave them or call them a mistake, no matter how hard shit gets.

Alrighty then! I should've made myself more clear. Shitty dads suck and don't deserve to be a part of their children's lives. I'm thrilled to see that some people have great dads. There's no need to land blast me with "well my father died so you should feel bad!" My point was that my childhood sucked ass because of my dad, and it's just not worth it to get all upset that you don't have a great dad, and that shouldn't hold you back from being a good and happy person. The End. Damn.

You just said that you don't have to be upset just because you don't have a great dad , but that's exactly what you're doing so ..

Who said I was upset? I'm not upset, are you upset?

We could always hope so.

That's what 2 just said.

Angry drunk dad strikes again.

I don't blame him. Who can remember how to spell 'anonymous'?

And whiney, self absorbed kids shouldn't blame their dads for their issues. It cuts both ways.

That depends... for example, if the said father abuses the child, and the child develops issues, I think it would be a fair surmise to say that the father at least had a heavy hand in the kid having issues!