Ages and Stages

Encouraging good dads to be GREAT DADS!

This morning I got up earlier than usual, lit the fire and made a hot cuppa and sat back in my favorite chair with a couple of family photo albums.

When your children are adults you look back on the holiday times together, the funny costumes they dressed up in, the celebration of birthdays and the various stages of life from sport teams to learning to ride a bike through to that first car.

As a dad you go from being the nurturing hugger of babies and toddlers to Mr. Funtime, playing Hide and Seek and being the Giant Tickle Monster, through to becoming teacher, mentor, coach, taxi driver, counsellor, Billy-Cart and cubby house maker and on occasion, Mr.Fixit.

There are many ages and stages in the life of a dad. During these we gradually adapt and change in response to what our children need us to be. Enjoying the different phases and being highly engaged with our kids as they grow and change is the privilege of fatherhood.

My encouragement to every father is to be fully there for your children as much and as often as possible. Build the relationship so that it is one that endures for a lifetime. Cherish each stage as a new adventure. Be careful not to wish the years away because they are too hard.

Take lots of photos and videos of your family times together and especially of your children participating in all their activities.

Take it from me, at 49, the memory does not recall a lot of what happens in these child raising years. Photos help to take us back to those years when you bonded through the many life experiences together.

What age and stage are each of your children at today?

What memories are you creating with your children this month?