Experiences of fathers from 19 to 73

By KATHLEEN LEES
news@columbiamissourian.com

Name: Charles Carter

Age: 73

Children: Two sons, three daughters, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Charles Carter has built quite a family —five children, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Now, living in Oak Towers, Carter recalls learning a lot from his father while growing up in Ashland, where his dad trained horses for a living.

His father taught him to hunt and fish, milk a cow and gather eggs in the hen house.

But the most important thing Carter said he earned was respect.

“Not too many young people know how to respect others,” Carter said, shaking his head. “It’s little things like opening the door for people and saying thank you and no thank you.”

“I loved my father a lot,” Carter said, smiling. “I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t in my life.”

Carter likes to think he used a lot of his father's parenting skills in his own life.

While raising his first three children, Carter worked the night shift at General Motors. He would cook dinner before he headed to work so it would be ready when his family came home.

In the mornings, he would wash the dishes. On weekends, he did the laundry.

“I tried to keep up a routine,” said Carter. “Organization is important.”

However, Carter said he didn’t take as active a role in the lives of his last two children as he now wishes he would have.

“I’ve been married four times,” he said. “The last two kids were always with their mother. I wish I would have spent more time with them.”

It’s important to set a good example for our children, Carter said, emphasizing the need for discipline: “I said, 'yes, ma’am' and 'no, ma’am.' It’s important that we teach our children manners.”

Carter said he struggled to overcome alcohol addiction as a young man and now helps others as a drug and alcohol rehab counselor at Phoenix House. He often serves as a father figure during counseling sessions, he said.

“They send the sickest people to me, but that’s because they know I’m serious about my work and because they know I can help them,” he said.

On Father's Day, Carter said he hopes to visit with his son Chris, who often stops by Oak Towers to spend time with him.

“I love my son, and I love my family,” Carter said. “They mean the world to me.”

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