With Father's Day on the horizon, I thought I would share with those of you who are fathers or who know someone who is (!) this excellent article by James Stenson, posted at the Catholic Education Resource Center.
Stenson's "Advice for Fathers" is a list of things not to do, drawn from the school of hard knocks. Yet, I found the article to be very positive and encouraging. To adapt a popular commercial tagline,"kids come at you fast." It's tough to push all the right buttons as fathers in our confusing, fast-paced family lives. I found Stenson's article to be really helpful as I continually make midstream adjustments that are so necessary when it comes to raising godly children.
Here are a couple excerpts that I really needed to hear (again):
"Don't underestimate your children. Have high ambitions for their swift, step-by-step growth into maturity. We all tend to become what we think about, and kids tend to become what their parents expect of them. Even when they sometimes let you down and you have to correct them, make them understand that you see this as just a blip along the way. You have no doubt, none whatever, that they'll someday grow into excellent men and women. You're proud of them, confident in them. Always will be."
"Don't forget to praise your children, and be specific about it. Kids need a pat on the back from time to time. We all do. Give praise for effort, not just success. Teach the kids this adult-life lesson: because success depends on effort, then effort is more important than success. You always appreciate when your children try."
There are many other insights in the article. For even more, readers may be interested in Stenson's book Father, The Family Protector, which is available here.