Frenchy in Grease may have said it best… The only man a girl can depend on is her daddy. He picked you up when you fell, vetted every man that glanced in your direction, and supported you through every one of life’s twists and turns. Chances are, though, you heard some words more than others throughout your years together. We’ve pulled together some of our all-time favourite dad lines… how many sound familiar to you?

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Money doesn’t grow on trees.

Said when you were younger and asked for pretty much anything. You’d usually get whatever it is you’re after, but not until you’d listened to a lecture on the value of money

Are you alright for money?

You know you’re a grown-up when this switch happens. The minute you stop asking for money, dad is concerned that you don’t have enough of it, and will find any excuse to throw a note or two your way. Bless him.

 

Ask your mother

Dad never wanted to be the bad cop. If the answer was going to be no, he got out of it by using this line. And instantly, mam was the bad guy. 

Who’s he belonging to?

Heard on that extremely awkward occasion when you finally have to admit to your parents that you have a boy, who’s a friend, who might be more than a boy who’s a friend. If dad can place the family, we might be ok.   

Fellas are only after one thing

Mam gets landed with the birds and the bees talk, but often dad will feel compelled to follow-up with some incredibly cringe-worthy advice on how lads think. If you make it through this conversation without dying of shame, congrats. You’ve passed a major life test.

You’re not going out in that

Remember that conversation in Clueless? Well, like that.

It’ll never start on time

From your BF’s seventh birthday party to your Leaving Cert exams, your dad has the power to make you late for absolutely everything. Cue a lifetime of you over-compensating by showing up an hour early for everything for the rest of your life.

When I was your age

This one is more often that not used to remind you of just how good you have it, and ties in quite nicely with…

Ah sure, it could be worse

Irish fathers have an unbreakably ‘positive’ outlook on life, as long as you only count positive to mean ‘it’s not as bad as it could be’. If you came crying to your dad with one leg hanging off, he’d be the first to point out that you’re lucky, you still have another one.