Depending on your individual circumstances, your definition of “Dad” may be skewed in any number of ways. Maybe your dad was busy at work until it was just about time for you to go to bed. He’d give you a pat on the top of your head, ask how your day went, and that was it. Maybe he was a “yeller” that came home and was so angry with everything else in his world, that when he got home he just wanted to be left alone. Maybe he wasn’t even there at all. It was just you and your mom.
Maybe, just maybe, your dad was someone you looked up to, or someone who was there for you whenever you needed him. The guy that came home from a long day at work, but as soon as you asked him to go out in the yard to play catch, he didn’t hesitate. He just grabbed his glove and went out there. He stayed out there with you until it was too dark to see the ball. The next day when he came home from work, he would do it again, no questions asked.
We have an article on spanking in this issue of FamilyOPedia. But that wasn’t something that really came up at our house. For my brother and I, the punishment that was much worse than a spanking, was to hear the words “I’m disappointed” come out of our dad’s mouth. It didn’t happen a lot, but that meant that when he did say it, it was even more devastating.
Now that I am the “DAD” in the house, with three rambunctious little boys running around, I have to decide what I want them to remember about me when they get to be parents. What do I want to teach them about being men? About being husbands? About being fathers? Some of you may remember how your dad did things, and you swear that you won’t make the same mistakes he did. Or maybe you were lucky enough to have a dad like I did. A dad that whenever I’m faced with a situation, I can ask myself, “What would he have done?” and I know that if I do the same thing, everything will be o.k.
Be a dad that they can look up to. A dad that isn’t afraid to show his love for his wife or his children. Teach them to hold the door open for another person or follow their wife into a room. Show affection to your spouse so they will learn to show affection to theirs. Let your kids know that you are here for them, even when they make a mistake. Teach them that as much as their dad loves them, their Father in heaven loves them even more than you do.
Maybe, just maybe, your dad was someone you looked up to, or someone who was there for you whenever you needed him. The guy that came home from a long day at work, but as soon as you asked him to go out in the yard to play catch, he didn’t hesitate. He just grabbed his glove and went out there. He stayed out there with you until it was too dark to see the ball. The next day when he came home from work, he would do it again, no questions asked.
We have an article on spanking in this issue of FamilyOPedia. But that wasn’t something that really came up at our house. For my brother and I, the punishment that was much worse than a spanking, was to hear the words “I’m disappointed” come out of our dad’s mouth. It didn’t happen a lot, but that meant that when he did say it, it was even more devastating.
Now that I am the “DAD” in the house, with three rambunctious little boys running around, I have to decide what I want them to remember about me when they get to be parents. What do I want to teach them about being men? About being husbands? About being fathers? Some of you may remember how your dad did things, and you swear that you won’t make the same mistakes he did. Or maybe you were lucky enough to have a dad like I did. A dad that whenever I’m faced with a situation, I can ask myself, “What would he have done?” and I know that if I do the same thing, everything will be o.k.
Be a dad that they can look up to. A dad that isn’t afraid to show his love for his wife or his children. Teach them to hold the door open for another person or follow their wife into a room. Show affection to your spouse so they will learn to show affection to theirs. Let your kids know that you are here for them, even when they make a mistake. Teach them that as much as their dad loves them, their Father in heaven loves them even more than you do.
