Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Take Time to Be a Dad

So, all over town there are these billboards that say "Take Time to Be a Dad" and it's really got me thinking.  What does it mean to be a Dad and how do you take the time to do it?  How much time do you need to be a Dad?  And why do I need a billboard to remind me to do it?


It makes me think of my Dad.  I thought he was a pretty good Dad, but for the life of me, I can't pinpoint the reasons why I think he was.  He was not always there for me.  He wasn't full of that mystical advice that taught me to be a man.  Nothing just stands out as over exceptional, but he was a great Dad.


When I say he was a great Dad, I mean that he was always in my life, apart of my life, even if was just in a small way.  He taught me how to wash the car, the right way.  He taught me how to cut the grass.  He taught me how to treat my wife.  It wasn't so much that he gave me step-by-step instructions, he was a role model.  He left me with little trinkets of life wisdom.  "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right."  Things like when "we" are going to do something, it meant you were going to do it.  He taught me a lot about life.


My wife will be the first to tell you that he taught me a lot about relationships.  I saw it in my parents marriage.  My Mom was my Dad's princess, the most important person in the world.  That included his kids too.  Mom was #1.  I learned that more then anything else.  It was my lasting jewel.


So, with all this in mind, how do I be a Dad to my little girls.  I am part of their life. I shower them with love and discipline, in healthy doses.  I try to be supportive of all their dreams and brag about them to everyone.  I try to boost their confidence.  I try to be everything a Dad can be.  The only problem, is that I don't know what that is.  Am I too overbearing, too much discipline, too easy, what am I doing right?  Everyday I feel like I am half right and half wrong in what I do for my kids.  Now, I have another one coming and I wonder everyday what kind of father I am going to be to them too.  I just hope I am worthy of that title, Dad.  

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