Are You An Awesome Dad?

Here are two great posts that I have found on the web on being a good father. The first comes from Mandy at Building Blocks Play Group. Since many busy fathers don’t have the time to spend with their kids Mandy recommends the following:

Indulge your natural inclinations to get down on the floor with your child(ren) and rough house, play ‘airplane’, pretend to be the dragon your boy slays with his ’sword’, even girls enjoy being thrown up in the air and tickled by daddy.

Share shaving time with your child, let your boy put on some shaving cream and use an old plastic card (credit, atm, license, etc.) to pretend shave with.

Her most important recommendation:

Give your time rather than things, your kids won’t remember what they got for christmas 20 years from now, but they will always remember the special times you spent together.

And whether or not you are a busy father Leo from Zen Habits.net provides 12 awesome tips for being a great Dad. As a father of six kids Leo certainly has the experience. He also believes and has the confidence that he is a great dad. Here is his list of tips:

1. Put their interests first, always.
2. Protect them.
3. Spend your spare time with them.
4. Give them hugs.
5. Play with them.
6. Do the “mom” stuff.
7. Read to them.
8. Stand by mom.
9. Teach them self-esteem.
10. Teach them about finances.
11. Be good to yourself.
12. Be good to the mom.

I think his list is great. His article also has 90 comments and close to 3,000 Diggs. Would I add anything else to Leo’s list? I would probably add three more to the list.

Listen to them: Your kids want you to listen to them. They are young and are constantly exploring our world and often they will say things that sound pretty basic and obvious. We think we are so smart compared to our kids but we forget that we were just as simple minded when we were the same age. Listen to them. Listen to their questions. Listen to their perspective on life. Listen to their silly stories and their silly songs. And when they have something they want to tell you, don’t just listen, show them that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say and encourage them to tell you more.

Be there for them: Your child may have been made fun of or picked on in school. Or their sibling did something they felt was wrong even if it wasn’t. You may think that’s a part of growing up and they need to learn to be tough. While that may be true, your role as a parent is to be there for them and show them you care when they feel hurt. Don’t try to be Mr. Tough Dad and tell your kid that boys don’t cry. If your child feels hurt then feel his/her pain.

Communicate with them: Don’t just demand that they do what you want them to do. Listen to their concerns and discuss options to resolve their issues. By communicating with your children you are showing them how to deal with problems in a mature way. Most importantly, it also shows your kids that you respect them.

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