Bonding and separating

Encouraging good dads to be GREAT DADS!

A couple of weekends ago we visited friends living on the coast just south of Sydney. To see my friend and his 15-year-old son spear fishing for jew fish was an encouraging sight. To see a father and son cruising along the rock ledges in their wetsuits and fins, I was reminded about the bond that a father and child can share. To see how common interests can help to strengthen the bond inspired my thoughts for today’s blog.

They enjoy fishing, surfing and shooting together. Living right on the beach affords them the opportunity to connect through activity almost daily. An enviable lifestyle from my point of view.

Watching the current series of the Amazing Race, Australia, there is a father and daughter team. To see the kindred spirit this father and daughter share in their devotion to athleticism and competition is awesome. The daughter is currently gearing up to leave home and the dad is finding hard to let go. He is concerned she is not ready yet to make it on her own. Through their participation in the Amazing Race, she is hoping to prove to her dad that she is capable and that he should respect her abilities and level of maturity. It seems to be working.

Sometimes dads have difficulty letting go of their children. It’s not just the mothers.

Bonding and separation, the joy and pain of parenting. Sometimes this is reversed. There may be difficulty bonding and there may be a sense of relief when there is separation. I respect that.

I was having a chat this week with a work colleague about how fatherhood has added a new dimension to his life. He is so proud of his 18 month old son and loves going home each day to see him and loves just hanging around at home on weekends with his wife and child.

I am running a Good dads GREAT DADS seminar this week and know that over 40 dads have booked in already. Effective Fatherhood is such an inspiring conversation topic. To hear dads telling their stories is always an inspiration.

How is your bond with your each child growing? What else could you be doing to strengthen the bond? What separation challenges are you facing?

Good dads GREAT DADS, the book available for iPad on the iTunes bookstore-$2.99