Awesome Dads Top Ten Ways To Be The Foundation of Your Family

Part of the responsibility of being a father is to establish a strong foundation for the family. Just like a building foundation, much of this work goes unseen and rarely gets acknowledged, yet the strength and integrity of the entire structure relies on it. The following intentions, although not always perfectly fulfilled, give us guidance in our mission.

Grounded in Reality

While my children may put me on a pedestal, I have my feet firmly on the ground and acknowledge my own strengths and weaknesses.

Demonstrative Love

I take the time to know and understand the best way to communicate my love to each and every child. My children see my love for my wife clearly expressed.

Mutual Respect.

By honoring and never ridiculing the thoughts, emotions and actions of my family, each member clearly experiences and understands my great respect for them.

Consistently Predictable.

My family is comforted and anchored by my predictability. My deepest values are consistently

demonstrated in my speech and behavior.

Predictable Spontaneity.

My family knows that I am extremely curious and love to explore and learn. My spontaneity is

consistent. We plan with flexibility, and the children look forward to unexpected adventures.

Responsible.

My children see how I prepare and follow through, owning up to my responsibilities. They learn by my example.

Safety/Security

I take safety very seriously and my children know it. They have learned by my examples, for instance: I always wear a helmet when skating, skiing or bicycle riding, and I take first-aid and CPR classes. Our car does not go into motion until all seat belts, including mine, are on. Primary

Advocate

My children know that I stand behind them and will protect, defend and honor them at all times. I do not discuss my children's failings with others.

Serious Humor

I deliberately use humor liberally to lighten stress and lubricate relationships to ensure a cohesive family.

WYSIWYG What you see is what you get.

I practice what I preach and that includes accepting human frailty and mistakes. The greatest foundation for a family is living with integrity.

Copyright 2004 by CoachVille, Dovid Grossman and Ken Mossman
Duplication, with attribution, permitted and encouraged.
www.CoachVille.com

From CoachVille's "Awesome Dads, dare to be a hero!" community.

Check us out at: http://dbc593.cvcommunity.com

About The Author

My father was a very successful engineer. But he and I never got along, and we fought all the time. One day, when I was 17, I told him, "I always wanted a close relationship with you, but we don't have it." I watched as three tears squeezed out of his pained eyes. And he said, "I've always wanted that, too, but I just don't know how to do it." Since that day, we haven't argued. I got it. I understood his love for me was really deep. A lot of fathers are in the same boat. They love their kids dearly. But they don't know how to express this in a way that their kids understand it. Which means there's great pain in one of the most important relationships in their lives. I offer adventure, mentoring and coaching programs for fathers to become Awesome Dads. The benefits are a lifetime of pleasure and pride with the most important people in their lives. Dovid Grossman

coach@dovidgrossman.com

---

Does Your Child Need A Bedtime Routine? - Yes!

Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed... Read More

Legacy to Your Children

John Bishop's Goal Setting for Students.comLegacy to Your ChildrenIt's 6:30 at night and you just got home from a long day at work, but the day's not... Read More

Inattentive ADHD: Just Like Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. In other works we have called this "Space Cadet" style ADHD. These are people that suffer from... Read More

Breastfeed a Toddler - Why?

Is your baby approaching his or her first birthday and you're considering weaning?The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that "breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months,... Read More

Preparing Your Child for the Three Rs

There is little doubt that reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic are crucial elements in the education of any child. A child's ability to later cope in the adult... Read More

No, No, No -- What Else is a Parent to Say?

The word no is probably the most overused word in the English language. I speak from experience since I myself use it frequently.I might begin a normal... Read More

Time Out for Adults

"Get down from the table top right now! What are you doing? Floors are for standing on, tables are for eating. You need a time out, young... Read More

Top Seven Tips To Become A Good Stepmother

Becoming a stepmother can undoubtedly be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences in a woman's life. Every family's circumstances are certainly different in some ways.... Read More

The Forgotten Secret of the Ancient Greeks that Shows Us How to Keep Our Teenagers Out of Trouble

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a... Read More

Raising Boys

The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness of the issues surrounding boys in most of the western world. It is common knowledge that boys... Read More

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What is Impulsivity?

Impulsivity is one of the hallmarks of people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This impulsivity is the result of the brain's decreased ability to inhibit. There is... Read More

Road Trip with Kids

Boredom, limited space and overflowing energy are a source of nuisance for a child when in a restaurant - how much more in the narrow cage of... Read More

Nurtured by Love or Matured by Nature?

"There is nothing new under the sun," states Ecclesiastes 1:9. This is certainly true of the nature-nurture debate, the modern name for the ageless argument about the... Read More

Protect your Kids Early with Safety Glasses

What exactly makes safety glasses different from regular glasses? There are several reasons glasses will be rated as safe. They must not only cover the front of... Read More

Parenting: 6 Observations on Fatherhood

Just the other day my oldest son asked:"Daddy, am I old enough to call you Dad?"Won't be long now before he is asking for the car keys.......Here... Read More

Books Around the House Make A Difference in Literacy Rates

We need a grass roots campaign targeted towards parents to have books around the house. Reading times where TV is turned off and kids are reading. The... Read More

Single Parenting: How The Challenge Of Single Parenting Affects Your Decision To Divorce

Single parenting has seemingly become an acceptable norm which is unfortunate. According to the US Census Bureau, there were over 20 million single parents in the United... Read More

5 Steps to Raising an Optimistic Child

I had just completed a session with 17-year old Julie who suffered from severe depression. Julie believed she was a total failure and would never be able... Read More

Adoption: Laughter and Tears

If you ever walk through an orphanage, it will be an experience you'll never forget. Witnessing children in poverty, children discarded, children stunted both physically and emotionally,... Read More

Discipline

Discipline is a necessary part of parenting yet it makes most parents feel uncomfortable. Some of those old disciplinary phrases such as 'spare the rod and spoil... Read More

What is Child Sexual Abuse?

What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is imposed on a child by an adult or an adolescent is a sexual assault and abuse of... Read More

Why First Borns Fuss, Seconds Are Resilient and Last Borns Like To Laugh

How can two or three children in the same family be so different? They are brought up in the same broad social environment, under a similar set... Read More

What Do You Do When Your Child is Smarter than You?

We adopted our first child when he was three months old. When we went to the agency to get him, he promptly stood up on my wife's... Read More

How to Set Healthy Limits at Work

Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus newpaper. My skills were growing and I was earning a reputation as a solid reporter.I was miserable.If... Read More

The 411 on Natural Colic Remedies

Any parent whose baby has suffered from colic can tell you that colic is one of the most excruciating experiences ever imaginable. Nothing is worse than seeing... Read More

Stress is No Kiddy Matter

Kids today no longer live the kind of privileged lives that we used to live as kids. This, I am absolutely sure of?.if there's nothing else in... Read More