Five Things You Can Do to Be a Better Dad
Recently I took my kids to a new type of hotel that actually has a water park inside the facility. One nice feature of this hotel is that it has a large window on the second floor next to the lobby where guests can look into the park. One of my greatest delights while I stayed there was watching parents bring their children in for the first time. I will never forget when a father brought his two little girls up to the window. Their eyes grew huge as they looked at all the different activities and then one little girl screamed with joy, “Oh, my goodness!”
- Look at your children and call out your children’s best. As a dad, you can be your children’s biggest fan. They are waiting for you to call out their best. They are waiting for you to give them praise and affirmation. Call out what they did right in their choices and actions. Call out what you like best about them. Call out the fact that you love them deeply.
- Love your children by touching them gently and speaking to them softly. There is nothing so powerful as a father’s touch. A soft and gentle touch can make a child feel safe and secure.
- Listen to what your children are saying and to what they are not saying. Spend time listening to your children talk about their day. Ask them questions and listen to what they are not saying. Today’s children are more wounded than at any time in the history of man. They need dads to listen to their concerns, their pains, and their wounds. They need to know that someone will care and that someone is you, their DAD. Listening will only take a few minutes, but the impact will last a lifetime.
- Leave a legacy by giving your children a memory. Make a plan to do something simple but something that your children can always remember. Read the same story each night for a month, play a certain game each week, fix the same dinner or breakfast every Saturday. There are small choices that can and will create lasting memories for your children.
- Laugh with your children. Allow your children to find the joy in life that comes with innocence. Then laugh with your children in these moments and find the deepest joy that is known in the heart of a parent.
If you as a dad take the time to love, laugh, look, listen, and leave a legacy, you will find your children at unexpected moments saying, “oh, my goodness,” I have a great dad.
used with permission