The importance of higher education

Growing up poor, Dad didn't have the opportunity to go to school past a certain age. His father had died when he was only 3, and pretty much everyone in the family had to work. We used to hear stories about how when he was in school as a young boy, the American soldiers would hand out chocolate milk at lunch to the kids. Then later, we heard how he would take the animals up into the mountains and he would sleep in trees. Our education was very important to him, which leads me right into my next dad-ism.

Dad-ism of the day: God help you if you EVER EVER complained about having to go to school, or whined about how you didn't want to go. This would spark Dad off and his lecture always started with the same words:

What! You wanna be a dummy for the rest of your life!??!!

At the end of the lecture, you were sufficiently chastised, realizing that your education was super important and you were ungrateful for not using the opportunity. I can't remember what he used to say for the rest of the lecture, but my sisters and I ALWAYS remembered the opening line.