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47 Reasons Why Being a Dad is So Awesome!

11/28/2022

If you are a man who lives life with passion, you will have many things for which to be thankful, and numerous experiences to reflect upon. But if you also become a father, your world will expand many times over. Being a dad is awesome, but only if you are up to the task. You must be selfless and give to your children, but they will pay you back many times over. Here are forty-seven reasons I have come up with why being a dad is so cool. I’m sure you can add to the list with your own experiences.

The list follows this slide show representing 15 of the reasons. (You may have to be on the website to see it.)

1. Each enjoyment is earned through hard work and tough times, and that’s the first thing that is cool about being a dad.
2. Your chest will swell with every one of your children’s achievements.
3. The sound of “Daddy” from your child’s voice is magical.
4. You don’t think so much about yourself.
5. Hugs around the neck are the best!
6. Giggles are precious!
7. Being available and present is appreciated forever.
8.   You will smile when they bring you a book to read to them.
9. Your emotions are elevated to dizzying heights!
10.   You are the most important man in their world!
11.   Keeping small secrets with them is fun, and it bonds.
12.   Saying, “That’s my son!” or “That’s my daughter!”
13.   When you hear them say, “That’s my dad!”
14.   Teaching them to stand tall is a great gift for both of you.
15.   Fixing stuff together is a blast.
16.   Seeing your children be unselfish.
17.   When they are respectful to their elders.
18.   Their successes are your successes.
19.   Seeing your kids showing love and affection to their mother.
20.   They love when you make French toast on Saturday mornings.
21.   Being an example makes you a better man.
22.   Riddles and puzzles are fun things to do together.
23.   Teaching them to the point of failure is priceless.
24.   Playing catch with your kids is more than playing catch.
25.   When they understand when it’s time for fun, or time to be serious.
26.   Finishing what you and they start will make you careful about what is important.
27.   Your daughter playing in the dirt while your son plays ball will make you smile.
28.   Seeing your kids’ help, comfort, and play with each other.
29.   Tractors or princesses will be the center of their young lives
30. Tea parties can be fun for them, and the memories of them are wonderful for all.
31.   When your child reaches up to you from a crawl that says, “I want you to hold me”.
32.   Remembering when you let you son/daughter splash in mud puddles then taking the heat from mom
33.   Stick drawings of you smiling makes you smile again.
34.   Letting them steer your car (or tractor) when it’s safe. They love that!
35.   When they learn to eat with their mouth closed.
36.   When they speak to you, eye to eye, you will be proud.
37.   They’ll do goofy things that make you laugh.
38.   Being wore out from piggy back rides is a good tired.
39.   When your heart melts, you are helpless, and it feels good.
40.   When your kids are kind to the less fortunate.
41.   When your son follows you around because he wants to be like you.
42.   Realizing a toddler can crawl on your lap before you know they’re doing it.
43.   Knowing they don’t care about your imperfections.
44.   Being your kids’ favorite teacher.
45.   Knowing they are happy to see you come home from work.
46.   Graduations, dance recitals, ball games, plays, etc.—you and mom being the most important attendees!
47.   Being a dad means you may be a grandfather someday. If you think being a dad is cool, try being a grandfather!

This list is not complete because the joy has no limits. The point is--fatherhood can be wonderful, and the most fulfilling responsibility you will ever take on. How wonderful depends mostly on you and the limits you establish. What you put into it, comes back again and again.

Click on the title to order my book: The Power of Dadhood: How to Become the Father Your Child Needs

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Thoughts on Ethics, Children, and Student Loans

11/20/2022

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“The times, they are a-changing,” sang Bob Dylan. As the times change, so do ethical challenges. And you may have noticed that changes are accelerating at an alarming rate! In some ways, are children are not as affected as their parents, until they become parents themselves. After all, they are raised in what is their parents’ new normal, but their only normal.

World renowned futurist and author of “The Singularity is Near” Ray Kurzweil sees an exponential increase in the rate of change. He suggests we will see 20,000 years of change in the next century alone, based on a continuing pace of acceleration. Scary stuff!

As a kid, I fantasized about who cool it would be if everyone had a phone with them at all times, likely influenced by the capabilities of Dick Tracy’s watch. Three weeks ago, I bought my first Apple Watch. Now, not only do I have a phone on me that can speak to anyone in the world for free, it also monitors my heart rate, blood oxygen and blood sugar! I haven’t even mentioned how smartphones can help us with directions, photography, exercise, and so much more. What will our phones, apps, watches, fridges and cars do for use 20 years from now?

With all this change comes ethical challenges. How will privacy be protected? Will mental health be challenged? Will truth be more difficult to find given all the sources, many of which cannot be trusted? How fast to we allow our children to be introduced to technology, especially smartphones?

However, there are base ethical principles that should never change...
and your children should know and understand them. Here are seven ethical ideas that are explained simply enough for your kids to understand:

Honesty - reliably sharing good and bad news, and performing alone as you would being supervised, even if it’s painful.
Fairness - Life is not fair, but people should be. Treat others as you would want to be treated.
Integrity - keeping promises and simply doing what you say you are going to do, honestly and fairly (see above).
Compassion - understanding with kindness the needs, sensitivities, and values of others.
Respect - interacting with others with compassion and fairness (see above),
Responsibility - performing to completion, any task for which you are expected to do.
Leadership - being an example of ethical and responsible behavior to and for those you influence.

A current example

Now I’d like to apply these basic ethical principles to a current controversial topic, the bailout of student loans. When students get a loan for school, they sign a contract stating the guidelines for that loan to be repaid. If not repaid, many ethical principles are broken. I am against this bailout for the ethical reasons stated above.

The first ethical guideline is ‘integrity’ which includes the ethics of ‘honesty’ and ‘fairness’. Students are ‘responsible’ for those loans, like it or not. Those loans must be paid some way, if not by the borrower, then by the citizens who pay taxes. This is not respectful to many others. First, to those who repaid their loans in the past. Second, to the taxpayers who have to pick up students’ burden. Last, to those hard-working people who paid off loans to build a business, buy tools, or attendedtrade schools through borrowing.

It was reported on a Sunday morning show that 50% of the citizenry of the US is for this student loan bailout. No doubt many of these people have outstanding student loans. That doesn’t make their favoritism for this policy ethical. In fact, they are selling ethics for financial gain, a quandary no doubt.

I paid off my student loans, some of which were not for school, but to help my family. Likewise, many students take out loans for reasons other than school, often for reasons of entertainment. Borrow money for whatever reason you want. Just be responsible enough to have the integrity to pay back your lenders. That’s what a leader would do. It’s honest, fair, and respectful!

Have you discussed ethics with your children?
#powerofdadhood

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It Takes Two!

11/14/2022

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Only a fool thinks they have all the answers, all the wisdom, all the experiences, all the talent to address every situation they face. Coaches have assistants, as do principals and executives. Doctors have collaborators and nurses. Airlines always have two pilots to fly their aircraft. The President has a Vice President and military officers have knowledgeable NCOs to make things work. My point?

It is best when children have two parents with different skills and outlooks to guide and teach them. One parent can fill the gaps the other may leave open. A girl learns from her mother but needs the love and male interaction of her father. A boy learns from his father but needs the often softer touch and protection of his mother. Parents often have different interests and talents that may match the interests of one of their children, while the other parent may have the talents to help another.

My childhood family of six children had too much mother while not near enough father; and because my father did not contribute to raising us, the mother we had could not be all she could be in that role. In my efforts through my book ‘The Power of Dadhood,’ and my nine years of blogging on fatherhood, I have been challenged by single mothers who believe I am berating them and their efforts. Of course, this is not true. I think single mothers who raise children alone are heroes! But these moms must realize that a male influence is critical in a balanced upraising of their children.

The few times my father involved himself in my youth, I realized his lessons had to do with the long-term me while my mother’s concerns were more often the short-term me. As an example, I once found myself in a fight with a couple of bullies. My father happened up on this and decided he could help by only allowing one bully to fight me to make it fair. I really didn’t want to fight either and was no match for the bully, who was easy on me, with my father present, until I connected on a punch.

My mother was furious with my father when she heard what had happened. Dad wanted me to learn to defend myself. While my father may have had the disputable tactic, he was trying to help the ‘long term’ me. Mom would have protected the ‘short term’ me, i.e., kept me out of the fight. I don’t claim either was right or wrong, but they had different outlooks on what I needed. Without both of them in my life, I would lose something important to my development.

Sometimes it is just impossible to have two parents, or two parents of opposite sex, in a family. One parent dies or the parents don’t get along; some have different lifestyles, etc. But never forget to do what you can to balance the experiences, during the tender years of growth of a child, needed to meet their best possible future.

#powerofdadhood

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The Dad That Makes a Difference

11/4/2022

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47 Reasons Why Being a Dad is So Awesome!

​Thoughts on Ethics, Children, and Student Loans

It Takes Two!

The Dad That Makes a Difference

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Thoughts on Ethics, Children, and Student Loans