The ultimate fathers day present (free)

My wife Liz got the greatest gift from her dad … though at the time she thought it was the worst.

As a teenager, he’d wake her up before the sparrows on Sunday mornings to help run his vintage clothes stall at the markets. They barely made enough to cover their snacks, let alone to pay for the petrol home. 

At 13, she was embarrassed. At 14, she was annoyed. By 15, she realised it was not about selling clothes. It was his way of holding onto his little girl for just a bit longer before she grew up.

Then, just after she finished high school, Liz’s dad died.

He never saw her become the fiercely independent woman I met years later – the 24-year-old TV producer who owned her apartment, drove her own car, and had savings in the bank. No handouts. No man as part of her plan. Just grit, determination, and those quiet Sunday lessons about showing up, working hard, and backing yourself.

I never met my father-in-law, but I see his legacy in Liz every day. And as a dad myself, I get it. Those early market mornings weren’t about making money. They were about making sure his daughter would be okay when he was gone.

Because that’s our real job as fathers – to become the voice in their heads when they can no longer hear our actual voice.

Which brings me to the simplest Barefoot tradition for Father’s Day. It costs nothing, but becomes priceless. It’s called the Ultimate Father’s Day Present, and it beats anything you’ll buy at Bunnings.

If you’re lucky enough to still have your dad around, here’s what to do:

Open your phone.

Hit ‘record’.

Ask him:

• How did you meet Mum?

• What’s your best advice about money, life and happiness?

• What does being a dad mean to you?

• What are you most proud of?

• How would you like to be remembered?

That’s it. Five questions. Five minutes. One irreplaceable gift.

Every year, I hear from people whose dads are gone. They all say the same thing: that video became their most treasured possession.

So to all the dads out there – Happy Father’s Day. Your work matters more than you know.

And to everyone with a dad still here:

Don’t waste it. Hit record.

Tread Your Own Path!

The multi millionaire and the $20 book

I’ve got a friend who is super successful, and very, very rich.

He sold his business for $300 million, owns a resort, and hangs out with dignitaries.

I was talking to him one day and he told me something that shocked me:

“Looking back on it all, my most cherished memory has been reading Harry Potter to my kids each night.”

Not the mega deals. Not the mega mansions. Not the pointy end of the plane. Reading a $20 book to his kids.

And you know what I thought?

I wondered if he’d ever told his kids that.

See, dads don’t always open up. We’re all too often busy being the breadwinners, the hunters, the gatherers, the planners, the fixers. Yet what we really want is to spend time with our kids, and let them know we care about them.

That’s all that really matters in the end.

So this Father’s Day I want you to give your dad the ultimate Father’s Day present: a chance to open up to you.

If you’re lucky enough to have your father still with you, whip out your phone, hit ‘record’, and ask your dad the following questions:

• How did you meet Mum?

• What advice can you share with me about money, life and happiness?

• What does being a dad mean to you?

• What are you most proud of?

• How would you like to be remembered?

Each year people write to me telling me (often in tears) how it really was the ultimate Father’s Day present.

And then, throughout the year, people who have lost their father tell me they cherish the video they made.

So, as you thumb through Instagram or Twitter for the millionth time today, stop and do this.

One day, it’s all you’ll have left of him. And you’ll treasure it.

Happy Father’s Day!