Author Archives: Greg Hague

About Greg Hague

I am an entrepreneur, attorney, author, motivational speaker, pilot, and world motorcycle traveler. First and foremost I am a dad. And, I am the founder of www.savvydad.com. My new book, How Fathers Change Lives, is a "Chicken Soup" collection of stories about remarkable dads... 52 examples of doing it right. What they say. What they do. Best advice. The stories are inspiring, touching and fun. The life lessons are great. This book has been recommended by some very special people including my friend, NY Times #1 Best Selling author Harvey Mackay ("How to Swim with the Sharks.."). In its first month it received over 50 five-star Amazon reviews. Learn more about Greg. Follow Greg on Google+

The Day I Learned Parents Are Real People Too

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“There was a little girl, Who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good, She was very good indeed, But when she was bad she was horrid.”

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today’s story is contributed by Elizabeth Parsons.

For a time, I was the kid you prayed you didn’t get. Hard-headed. Smart-mouthed. Opinionated. Disobedient.

sister and brother

Liz (behaving for once) with her little brother Daniel

Dad? Arch enemy #1 (probably because we are so alike).

What did we fight about? Everything. Bedtime. Friends. TV shows. Madonna. (I worshipped her; Dad was not impressed).

My mission in life: to prove Dad wrong; to show I was right.

Where did I get this obstinate streak? Probably from my lawyer Dad. When he was a kid, he was a handful, too. When he didn’t get his way, he’d hold his breath until he fainted — at least I didn’t do that. READ MORE 

Draw A Wider Circle

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“Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.”

— Shirley MacLaine

This story is contributed by Lori Holden.

My name is Lori. Today, I’ll share what may be the greatest life lesson in the history of humankind — spoken through the words of my Dad.

Want to have a richer life? Dad told us the secret early on…

“Draw a wider circle.”

A bit anticlimactic, you say? Well, few words can speak great volumes. Let me explain.

I grew up with two sisters. Sometimes we came home whining, “The other kids won’t play with me!” or “They’re leaving me out!” or “Nobody likes me!”

Dad would always respond simply…

“Draw a wider circle.”
draw a wider circle

Lori and her dad (both right) and family

He said it repeatedly, ad nauseum. Dad was big on aphorisms, but that’s another story.

He suspected that more often than not, we were actually excluding ourselves by making assumptions about others. He constantly reminded us that the other kids were scared of making new friends too, so we could choose to be the ones to approach them and join in on activities. Dad was determined to raise three confident and assertive young women. READ MORE 

I Said ‘No’ to a Boy at the School Dance

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“It’s better to be kind than to be right.”

—Bruce Redding

Today’s story is contributed by Laura Donovan.

Laura Donovan lost her dad early in life. But she’s never forgotten one lesson he taught.

Today she reflects back to a middle school dance…a boy who asked for her hand. She turned him down. When dad found out? Hold on… Not what she thought!

My parents were late for everything during my childhood.

school dance

Laura and her father Paul, 2005

When we lived in LA, I was always at least ten minutes late to elementary school. I was the last kid picked up at day care. My parents made me late for every birthday party to which I was invited. But my parents were never late to pick me up from middle school dances. They were held in the gymnasium every month.

Even when I’d give my parents the wrong pick up time, they figured it out, and often arrived ten minutes before the end of the event. This cut into the last few songs of the night, just when my friends and I had finally racked up enough courage to ask boys to dance. READ MORE 

Earl Woods – Tiger Tough Dad

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“How tough to be on a son? As strong as you want him to be.”

—Greg Hague

This story is about Tiger Woods’ dad, Earl Woods.

It’s been called “one of the greatest father-son relationships in the history of sport.” He was devoted and loving, but brutally tough. A friend at all times, but antagonist, too.

Tiger-Woods-Earl-Woods

Tiger with his dad, Earl

Earl Woods was no normal dad. He had a vision for Tiger, his boy. There would be no variance. His son would be great. Dad would make sure.

Training for hardships — in sports, in life — started when Tiger was a toddler. Through the years Earl tested him, prodded him, taunted him incessantly.

A retired Army Lt. Colonel, Earl commented, “I tried to break him down mentally, tried to intimidate him verbally, by saying, ‘Water on the right, OB (out of bounds) on the left,’ just before his downswing.” READ MORE 

My P.O.W. Dad – Father Finally Found

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“If we know where we came from, we may better know where to go. If we know who we came from, we may better understand who we are.”

—Anonymous

Today’s story is contributed by David Grieme.

There was something missing growing up, in childhood, in adolescence, as a man. I was missing a dad.

Superman and his brother

Superman (aka David) in Webster Groves, Missouri about 1962 with his brother Greg

Coaches. Professors. Fathers of close friends. There were many important men in my life, but no one really filled the gap my biological father left.

Dad left when I was ten, after my parents divorced. But really, he was “absent” all along. At home, detached and closed. My five siblings and I seemed invisible, an inconvenience. When asked about family history, our grandparents particularly, Dad refused to answer. We were forbidden, in fact, from asking.

And then Arnold “Arne” Böcker entered my life — the father of my wife. READ MORE 

Make Room for Daddy

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“All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why.”

—Danny Thomas

Today’s story is about Marlo Thomas and her dad Danny Thomas.

Daddy’s little girl had exciting news. An A+ essay at school. But Daddy was on the road. So she read it to him over the phone. That conversation changed his life. And hers. And possibly yours.

Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas (right) and her sister Terre in 1969

Margaret (“Marlo”) Thomas has now grown up. She’s an actor like Dad.

Her dad — Danny Thomas — became a household name in his day. But it wasn’t always that way. He started his career touring small clubs as a comedian. He traveled extensively and was often away.

Marlo remembers:

“Because [Dad was touring] it was like having a long distance daddy a lot of the time. And he would always call us long distance, every single night… READ MORE 

Dad’s Shrimp Tempura

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“Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one’s own person is its ultimate reward.”

—Patricia Sampson

Today’s post is from Karen Austin.

The month before he turned 13, my dad became the man of the house. In February of 1951, his father died during gallbladder surgery.

Dad's shrimp tempura

Dad’s shrimp tempura

As the oldest of three boys, he assumed a lot of responsibility. He worked after school at the family jewelry store. He often made dinner while his mother worked late doing bookkeeping for the store. He joined the military to pay for college.

Because of the way he grew up, Dad learned to be self-reliant. To do things for himself. To be responsible for his own well being, happiness and success in life.

This example by Dad formed the foundation for how I now live. It’s the best lesson I learned from him. READ MORE