Daddy Thoughts

By Delton:

Man, being a dad is a growing experience! I have always looked forward to being a dad, and I am enjoying it immensely! But I am certainly on a learning curve, as I'm sure we all are as parents.

One thing I'm coming to understand:

I have found as a father there are values and virtues I want to pass on to Ezra. At this point it is things like: He is not going to always get what he wants, and he needs to be OK with that; he can entertain himself and be content without mommy and daddy. Ezra is a great kid, don't get me wrong. I am simply aware that he has the same propensity as any child to become a brat, and I accept the responsibility as his father to make sure that does not happen.

So, when I am on daddy duty with Ezra in the evenings, I look for opportunities to impart these principles to my 7 month old son. The other evening I was making such efforts, and till the end of the evening I was not feeling top notch. He was fussy, I was depressed, and his mother had to intervene. Later, as Charity debriefed me, some dynamics came to light.

Essentially, in the three or so hours I have with my son each day I must be careful to not miss the heart of my child by dwelling on the principles I want to instill in him. I need to be connecting with his heart, learning to understand him and his needs. Out of that understanding I can effectively and wisely discipline and train him.

Maybe this is one source of resentment between fathers and children. We have a pure desire to see our children grow into mature, responsible adults. So, we come home in the evening, see our children display an undesirable behavior, and make and effort to curb such behavior. But, if we are not careful, we miss the heart of our child, and end up crushing him and generating resentment.

Just some thoughts from a daddy in training.