They call me Dad

Encouraging good dads to be GREAT DADS!

Friends of ours have their children address them by their first names and have done since they were in their early teens. Call me old fashion but it just seems weird to me. I love that my kids call me dad. Its part of my identity and in relation to them, it seems like a more intimate or personal title.

A person’s first name is the sweetest word in the world and we should use someone’s name often when speaking with them as it affirms them and shows them that we are genuinely interested in them. I guess it is a personal preference thing, but for me and my household I am dad and always will be. Adding to that, assuming things all click into gear, I will possibly one day have the esteemed title of GRANDDAD. Wow what a privilege!

I enjoyed taking two of my grown sons for a day at the beach this week. We had an inflatable rubber boat and allowed ourselves to get smashed and tumbled by the ocean waves all the while laughing and mucking around as big boys do. Spending time together with our children remains one of the richest experiences in life.

The challenge for busy dads in todays’ world is making sure we do spend lots of quality time with our kids while they are young and in their formative years. They rely on us for so much of their development. This is the subject of my book which I am patiently waiting for Apple to approve for the Itunes store. If we have made our children a huge priority while they are young, demonstrated through lots of quality time with them. There is a much stronger chance they will actually want to spend time with us later in life.

We have children to be parents. This is a lifetime commitment. How much more enjoyable if they genuinely want to hang out with you from time to time in your later years and not see visiting you as a chore or a once a year have-to-do tradition. Apart from exceptional circumstances, there is a sowing and reaping principle at work in these prime relationships for sure.

Cherish your kids, enjoy that they call you dad, spend valuable time with them as a group and especially build in some one on one time with each of them.

May I introduce you to Life of Dad in the USA. These guys have connected with us and the GDGD Facebook community. Have a look at their website and some of the awesome activities they offer to dads.

http://lifeofdad.com/

Also if you would like to connect with me and other dads at the good dads GREAT DADS Facebook page click on this link.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/142920...