5 of My Father Failures
As I look back on my earliest days of fatherhood, I see some things I could have done. They’re commonly repeated failures among fathers. Here are five of the biggest. Hopefully, they provide a timely reminder as you raise your kids . . .
- Not Praying Out Loud – Kids are always watching, and they follow our lead. What we do, they do. Even into adulthood. If all they ever see of dad praying is a canned prayer before dinner, then that is all they may ever know to do. But if we pray from our hearts in a vulnerable, honest, and intimate way, there is hope that our children will follow in our footsteps. That they will authentically lean on Jesus and not be ashamed.
- Not Showing Love for Their Mom in Front of Them – The best way to make your kids feel safe and loved is to love their mother. Openly. Kiss her in front of them, hug her, hold her hand, and don’t flinch when your kids say, “eww, gross!” because secretly they are grateful to know they live in a stable home. Don’t let your kids become another statistic because you were too shy to show affection for your wife in front of them.
- Flying Solo – This may be one of the hardest things to change as a man and father. Your family cannot be your only source of friendship and community. Good men need other good men. Our pride, ego, and shame tell us otherwise and keep us confined in solitude forever. Do not fly solo as I did early on. There’s no better way to get picked off by the enemy. Men are naturally inclined to do things alone. It takes intentional effort to build community, but you’ll be a better man for it.
- Not Having “the Talk” – Your kids need you. They want to learn from you, but you cannot wait for them to come to you on everything. Approach your kids about sex and sexuality when the time is right. It’ll be awkward and unnatural, but if you plan your approach, you will be okay. If you can spend hours and hours doing research and preparation for work, don’t your children warrant the same effort?
- Trying to Be Extraordinary – Your kids don’t need you to be the best dad ever. They need you to be you. You don’t become famous for wanting and desiring fame. You become famous because you give every ounce of your energy into being good at something. The accolades come because you left nothing in the tank. Put the same with your kids. John Woodall calls it “3X.” Put three times as much effort into your kids as you think is required before puberty. You can’t over-invest.
All fathers have issues, but we can make progress by submitting ourselves totally to our Heavenly Father . . . by seeking His guidance and then obeying, by offering our kids up to Him and avoiding at least these five “father failures.”
Question: What about you? Where can you improve? Did any of these hit home? Do other failures come to mind?
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Responses (2)
Awesome blog post. I really like the mindset of putting 3 times as much effort into your kids as you think is required.
Fantastic reminder! I have one or five to work on. In “Raising a Modern Day Knight,” Robert Lewis taught me a great way to find out how you are doing in these 5 areas, and maybe others. You just ask your children individually, “What can I do to be a better dad?” Odds are their answer will fall in an area that you did not know you had an issue with. At least that’s what I found….