July 9

The Making Of A Great Dad

A good father is: 

Good listener, patient, caring, provider, disciplinarian, respectful, attentive, loving, forgiving, generous, funny, spontaneous, reliable, concerned, The Making of a Great Father: It’s not overnight. It’s a process. A journey. A desire to be a great father. 

What model did we have? Did we have a model? Do we have mentors ourselves? Do we want to be great fathers or are we satisfied with the status quo?   

Commitment

  • An unwavering commitment to a strong relationship with your spouse. 

  • A commitment to your children

  • A commitment to your family

Growth- This is perhaps the key to the making of a great father. Continuum growth- A growth mindset by reading, mentors, building community:

  • Relationship 

  • Spiritually

  • Intellectually

  • Confidence 

Trust- in your relationships. Raising boys is very different from raising girls. Each child is an individual with a unique personality, needs, temperament and interpretation of the world. Building this trust is special and a priority. Don’t break promises. 

  • We trust our spouses

  • We trust our children

  • We trust ourselves to keep our promises

Protector- Make sure that in the process of protecting our children we don’t end up hurting them. 

  • Guardrails to protect our family, children from their own demise 

  • We protect our children from predators

  • We protect our families from poverty, emotional distress, anxiety, spiritual bankruptcy

Provider-We work hard in the marketplace and at home. As providers our work is never done. 

  • Financially 

  • Emotionally

  • Opportunities for dialogue and spontaneity 

  • Opportunities for growth 

Present- Involved- asks meaningful questions

  • We are genuinely interested in our children 

  • We live in the moment

  • We communicate that we care and we want to know

  • We show up when it matters most

“Many times fathers beat themselves when they compare their parenting to that of their spouse. Find out what you do well and what your role is in the home. Build confidence by identifying all your great attributes and things you do extremely well. This transfers over to your children.” Dr. Mark Trahan -   

-E. Rustrian