THEY SEE … THEREFORE, THEY ARE

My one year old grandson recently surprised and humored his parents when he responded to the cell phone ringing by flipping open the phone and putting it to his ear to talk. He didn’t know why the phone was ringing, heck, he couldn’t even talk! All he knew was that’s what he watched his parents do. So Dad, what is your child watching you do?

What if your child were programmed, to learn from only you?

What if they were told to close their ears, and learn only from what you do?

So what are they learning, as they watch closely the life you spend?

Are you modeling the messages which you really want to send?

How do you know if you’re sending the right message? There are no parenting or child development books that address all the situations and circumstances you’ll face as a dad. So what do you do? Where do you start? My advice … start with the end in mind. Start by asking yourself what type of person would you like your child to be? Start by asking yourself what values do you want your child to have? Then start showing your child how to be that person.

If you want your child to be healthy, then ask yourself … Does my child see me exercising regularly and eating healthy?

If you want your child to be spiritual, then ask yourself … Is my spiritual faith visible and active in front of my child?

Other messages you may want to explore are:

How do I show love/affection to my child, as well as their mother?

When faced with life’s challenges, does my child see an “oh woe is me” victim or an “I can do it” champion?

How does my child see me handle anger, disappointment and frustration?

How do I demonstrate the importance of family to my child?

Being a dad requires passion and dedication. But did you ever consider that being a dad also requires humility. Yes, I said humility, because there will be times when you should step back from your position of authority and assume the role of learner … allowing the child to take the lead and to show his developing character. As you watch and learn, you’ll be able to evaluate if your messages are being absorbed.

Dads, yours is an awesome responsibility.

I'm The Proudest Father Alive!

Let's face it. When it comes to sports figures and the shout out, fathers get a bum deal. Very rarely do we hear, "Hi, DAD!" It's usually mom who gets the honor of the five seconds of television notoriety. Of course, it is often dad (or some other father-figure) who invested the time and effort in helping his child to nurture her/his athletic ability. Some would say that fathers do this as a means to cater to their own ego or unfulfilled fantasies. That may be true...for some fathers. I believe that most fathers see an opportunity to teach their children the value of hard work, discipline, persistence, perseverance, and belief in self. This, in my opinion, is one of the finest examples of a father's love and support of his child. The following article was sent to me by my father and exemplifies this idea.

94: Derek and dad finish Olympic 400 together

Rick Weinberg
Special to ESPN.com

Unlike Carl Lewis and Daley Thompson, Derek Redmond is not a name that conjures up memories of Olympic gold medals. But it is Redmond who defines the essence of the human spirit.

Redmond arrived at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona determined to win a medal in the 400. The color of the medal was meaningless; he just wanted to win one. Just one.

He had been forced to withdraw from the 400 at the 1988 Games in Seoul, only 10 minutes before the race, because of an Achilles tendon injury. He then underwent five surgeries over the next year. This was the same runner who had shattered the British 400-meter record at age 19. So when the 1992 Games arrived, this was his time, his moment, his stage, to show the world how good he was and who he was.

Derek's father Jim had accompanied him to Barcelona, just as he did for all world competitions. They were as close as a father and son could be. Inseparable, really. The best of friends. When Derek ran, it was as if his father were running right next to him.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

According to Parenting.com...

Outsmart Your Toddler: 5 tricks for getting yours to do what you want

1. Act like an idiot

"Even the most defiant toddler will take pity on us if we seem like total incompetents."

Great advice Parenting.com! So should we drool and dig in our butts, or just babble and eat boogers? And as we lead them, by example, into stupidity, how should we convince them that we know what we are talking about when we say "Don't stick the fork in the electrical outlet!", "Don't run in the street!" "Don't play in the toilet!" Whoever wrote this needs a vasectomy, and a daily spanking, damnit.