I can’t speak for dads, personally. However, I can imagine the pressure to be everything a kid needs is a huge weight on their shoulders. Parenting is the toughest job a person will ever do. I’d put parenting up against brain surgery and still say parenting is harder. Raising humans, good humans who contribute to the world and not suck has to be the most challenging endeavor ever.
It starts with a great dad, (in my opinion) and here are my top 10 things that great dads do to equip their kids to be everything God expects them to be.
1. Great dads love God.
I grew up with a wishy-washy belief system. My parents didn’t go to church and they didn’t honor God with their lives. Somehow, I knew….that wasn’t how God intended it to be. A dad who loves God teaches his children to do the same. My path to God wasn’t met through a father’s example. Great dads play a giant role in who they influence their kids to honor.
2. Great dads love their wives.
I didn’t have the best example of marriage growing up. I never knew my real father, only step-dads. Young people seem to be buying into the mistruth that having two parents isn’t that big of a deal. Kids will know they’re loved however the family dynamic plays out. Not necessarily true. One of the greatest gifts a kid can receive is two committed loving parents. No matter how you slice it, broken marriages or no marriage at all affect a person forever.
3. Great dads discipline their children.
Kids want rules. They may not act like it, but they do. Setting boundaries, making rules (with a loving spirit) exhibits real love. Children know they are valued when dad places a hedge of protection around them. Think what you want, but the world has rules for how we conduct ourselves. What if we never taught our kids to obey? The world would be complete chaos.
4. Great dads invest in their children.
It costs to live. Dads are responsible for supporting the family (for the most part). If dad just works and works to provide, the family suffers. I remember how my son behaved when he needed time with his dad. He would be sensitive and emotional over the slightest issue. It usually happened any time my hubby was overly busy with work and life. Stopping to play, read or hang out filled his tank. Kids feel love when dad takes the time to do activities and life with them.
5. Great dads show affection.
I blogged a few months back about humans needing 6-8 hugs a day. I would bet that kids need even more. Physical affection produces endorphins that pump you up! It’s like heart fuel. It’s been proven, loving fathers who show affection to their sons and daughters fill up their love tank and by doing so, prevent them from seeking out that love in all the wrong places. Promiscuous children/teens are searching for the touch that is missing from their lives. Hugging, kissing and more empower children to be confident in who they are as people. Knowing they are loved and cherished is very important.
6. Great dads are fair.
Colossians 3:21 says, “Fathers, do not make your children resentful. Otherwise, they’ll become discouraged”. Dads owe their children a fair game. Parenting isn’t all about ruling over them with an iron fist. Natural consequences will occur often and dads have a pivotal role in helping their children learn from their mistakes. It’s not good to rescue them just as it isn’t necessary to pound them in the ground for their human errors. Teaching them to own mistakes and ask for forgiveness with a genuine spirit of humility will live on through them as they parent someday too.
7. Great dads are honest.
You can fool the whole world, but you will never fool your kids. Be honest with them, be honest in front of them and watch them choose honesty in their own lives. Integrity is becoming a weak attribute in our society, great dads hold tight to the convictions of truth. Kids are watching and they will do as you do. Trust me.
8. Great dads say I LOVE YOU.
I’ve met so many people during my lifetime that have shared NEVER hearing the words I LOVE YOU from their dads. I LOVE YOU fills up the heart and blankets the soul. A dad’s love is a love like no other love. Knowing his love, stomps out any doubt of self-worth or value. Like affection, I love you fills up a spot that only dads can fill.
9. Great dads teach forgiveness.
There’s never going to be a perfect human (only Jesus holds that title) and teaching how to ask for forgiveness and give it is a treasure for navigating life. Dads who withhold forgiveness and grace set their children up for never feeling good enough or worthy. Resentment becomes a stronghold in the relationship. Mistakes must be put to rest with complete restoration between all parties.
10. Great dads turn into amazing grand dads.
Luckily for dads, raising kids doesn’t end when they move out. Great dads continue to influence their kids as he loves and cherishes the children born from them. Every grandkid deserves a loving Papa who tells them funny stories about their parents and spends time with them doing fun things.
From the passenger seat of my marriage, I’ve watched as my husband has done his best to love our kids like my Top 10 List. He gave them his time, his love, his affection, his love for God, his love for me and so much more. I have no doubt that each of them know he loves them and supports them in every way. They can trust him and know that he always has their best interest at heart.
Honey, you are a great dad. Happy Father’s Day.
