I think it’s important that, as a country, we have a whole day devoted to honoring fathers. That holiday should remind us all that being a good father is not just about bringing kids into the world. It’s about how you engage with your kids.
Father’s Day is a good day to remember that being a good father means being an active father. It means doing things that connect directly to your kids. Father’s Day is also a good reminder of how important it is to be part of your kid’s development.
Of course, it means spending time with your kids. It means being there for the school plays, for the recitals, for the sporting events, and all the rest of it.
It means talking to your kids about what happened to them during the day … and it also means talking to them about what’s going to happen to them down the road, later on in life.
It means making sure they know how important it is to get a good education … and it means sharing whatever you can with them from your own education, wherever you got it.
It means helping them learn to make good choices … and knowing when to step back and let them make their own mistakes.
It means teaching them how to be goal-setters … even when you might not have chosen the same goals.
It means helping them find their passion in life … so they can chase that passion and feel whole and complete as people when they think about their purpose in this world.
It means helping them celebrate when they attain a goal … and it means helping them learn from what happened, dust themselves off, and set new goals when they don’t.
And, last but not least, it means finding a way — your own way — to make sure they know just how much you love them.
This Father’s Day, let’s use at least part of the day to think about the kind of parents we want our own kids to become. Also, by being an active father, let’s remember to take action in your kid’s development to give them all the first-hand evidence they need to be that kind of person.
