After interviewing over a hundred dads on the podcast Father Nation, some common themes kept surfacing. The truth is there is no ONE top special secret that will turn us into the perfect dad. There are a variety of things you can do to be better though. If you can hit on all 10 of the following things you’ll be on the right track!
Lead—The #1 way to be a better dad in 2016 is to be a leader in your family. Your kids look to you for leadership, which is simply the act of heading or directing a group of people. You don’t have to be a “natural” leader to lead—just be active and not passive.
Listen—Secondly, a dad must take the time and effort to listen to their kids. How often are we caught spacing out or distracted with something else as our kid tries to tell us something? Be sure to actually listen to what they say.
Be Present—Part of the reason a dad may not be listening is because he’s not present even though he’s home. He’s working on that report or watching TV etc., and he’s not fully present in the moment. If you are with the kids, be intentional about staying in the present.
Internet Boundaries—This was not something dads of the past had to worry about, but today a child can find ANYHING online. A dad needs to set boundaries in place to protect his kids from not just X-rated material, but from predators and people with bad intentions.
Come Home Happy—It’s easy to let the stress of work put you in a bad mood, but it’s important to remember to put a smile on your face when you walk in your front door and greet your kids with positivity. Set the mood of your home.
Schedule Time—Everyone is busy but don’t let business push aside spending time with your kids on a regular basis. Just because you are in the same home doesn’t mean you automatically share time together. Put it on the calendar to make sure it happens, because time is influence.
Be Fit—A dad doesn’t need to be Arnold Schwarzenegger with 45-inch biceps but all dads should have at least the goal to be healthy. Nobody can take care of others if they can’t take care of themselves first. Being active and fit will influence your entire home to be the same. The cold hard truth is that being obese is good for nobody.
Have Grace—We all need to discipline our children, but at times we need to show grace. Nobody is perfect—including our kids. Don’t confuse this with permissiveness or being lawless, but at times show grace to a child when they do wrong—done the right way it can be more effective than punishment.
Establish Routine—This goes together with leadership. Every home needs some routine. It’s the chaotic home that lacks discipline and leadership. This can look different for each dad but kids need to know what to expect, when to expect it, and have some sense of security from routine.
Sacrifice— When you sign up to be a dad you sign up to put yourself second. Good dads don’t always do what they want to do, but they put aside their own desires for the good of their children. This takes many forms, but the principle remains the same—giving up something valuable for the benefit of somebody else.
Be a great dad today!
Thank you for this. I would take any advice to be a better dad. There's nothing more important to me than my kids.
Great advice. My wife and I both grew up with spanking, and see some potential value in it. However, we both try hard to never implement the act. Unfortunately, it some times seems to be the only way to get through. We both seek new tips/tricks to get through in other ways.
your post is really good.
can you please write an "introduction post" with your p[hotos and tell us a bit about yourself? do you have a podcast? where is it? [ don't forget to have a photo with you and the date today! ]
And second, please look at this post and maybe make a few changes. I think it will certainly improve the readability of your posts !
https://steemit.com/steemit/@razvanelulmarin/help-me-upvote-you