Time Together

Encouraging good dads to be GREAT DADS!

I recently ran an interactive workshop for 45 dads and their children who are in grade 5. In the feedback sheets both dads and kids reported that they loved spending time together one to one and the evening gave them an opportunity to talk to each other in a way that some had not been able to before.

Several weeks later that same group of children were surveyed by the school chaplain to see what may have changed in their relationship with their dad.

Some responses were; “Dad’s been spending much more time with me since the dad night.”  ”Dad and I now tell each other how we are feeling.”  ”My dad has even being playing XBox with me which is something he never did before.”  My dad took me to the art gallery for the first time, we loved it.” “I love my dad and I like it now when he tells me that he loves me.”

I am greatly encouraged to have been part of building relationships in those few families.

In my family life, my 20-year-old son, the youngest of our three, and I went indoor rock climbing two nights ago and enjoyed great pizza afterwards. To my delight, and with my sons encouragement, I climbed 60 feet high to the top of the roof. Not something I could do for several years. It feels good to be getting strong and fit once again. It took me a little while to get my confidence up and be able to trust my son’s ability to securely hold me at his end of the rope down below.

I love the time I get to spend one on one with my sons. It happens a lot less these days but when it happens it means the world to me. One of the dads in the workshop wrote, “Thank you Mal, I didn’t realise the importance of my role as a father and I didn’t know how important spending time with my daughter was.”

If you give your children nothing else in this life, give them your time.

How recently did you spend meaningful time one on one with your child or children? How’s your calendar looking? It’s too much of a privilege to miss out on and if you want to communicate your love to your child, nothing demonstrates it as powerfully as time together.

PS. I just left a conference dinner and made my way back to my hotel room to finish this blog. A lady also got into the elevator and recognised me from a workshop we were both in during the day. She asked “Are you the blogger?” I kindly replied that I blog about fatherhood, to which she said, “Good dads?” I said “Yes, Good dads, GREAT DADS. To which she smiled and said , “My husband reads your blog, it’s great!” She told me they lived in Sydney and that someone had recommended my blog to him on Facebook.

I told her that I was off to my room to finish writing this one. I am encouraged!