Hi, I'm Dave Isae founder of StoryCorps. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial.

Did you know that planning your celebration of life in advance can protect your family?

Give your loved ones the best gift, peace of mind. For additional information, visit DignityMemorial.com.

Hey, folks, this is Max Jung Rice from the StoryCorps podcast.

Just want to remind you that you can tell us your personal stories by calling our voicemail at

702-706 talk.

This week, we want you to tell us what's a special tradition you have with a parent.

That's 702-706, T-A-L-K.

How has being a parent changed you?

Oh, it changes everything.

It's the StoryCorps podcast from NPR, where we bring you into our archive,

the largest collection of human voices ever recorded, to find the big moments hidden in ordinary lives.

What's the hardest thing about being a dad?

What kind of father do you think you were?

I felt that I was blessed to have an amazing man in my life as a father.

I don't think there's a higher calling that a man could have than to be a dad.

I'm Jasmine Morris, and on this episode, stories about that higher calling of fatherhood.

First up, Tremaine Crawley and her dad, Joseph Bond.

What was I, like, as a dad?

A little militant, but you was hard because you cared.

So, in my eyes, you was the perfect father because you gave us tough love, but you also gave us love at the same time.

Some of that toughness may have come from the Marines. As a teenager, Joseph fought in the Vietnam War. After his service ended, he raised a family, spent 35 years working for the city of Philly.

...