22 Jan The Dad Thing

I actually started working on this back on Father’s Day but looking over old drafts pulled it out!  Never too late to talk about the incredible adventure that is dadhood. The dice do roll for every set of parents choosing to have a child, adopt a child, take in a foster child, or even decide to go childless. Sometimes having a child or even adopting can be difficult. Desperate parents-to-be try everything in the book, many successful and some not. Then when you are lucky enough to have or adopt that child, so many kids do indeed turn out awesome and create incredible pride and feelings of love you never thought possible. But many parents face issues with children who are mentally or physically ill, or choose to estrange themselves as adults, or simply create incredible difficulty for their family and parents. Sometimes children are affected by parents with mental or physical challenges or addictions. Those parents face extra burdens to deal with their own issues while being there for their kids as well.

Parenting is hard and also awesome. And being a dad, well it’s a unique experience for sure. Since most dads work, and statistics say 50% are divorced, the term “quality time” takes on special meaning. A wise man of my parents’ generation said something simple: you have to give your kids time. This gentleman in particular practiced what he preached. He worked with one of his grown children and spent literally every day with them and their kids, never making his own plans until he knew they didn’t need him. Is this harder when you or your child are dealing with challenges on their own or in their relationship with you? Of course. That’s when you just can’t give up.

Giving your kids time is as much about quality as quantity. When you are home all weekend with them but spend most of your time watching TV or on the computer, that is not spending time with your kids. Make that extra effort. Do something with them. It can be a meal, a board game, a movie or funny video, a bike ride, even just a chat about school or music or whatever. Throw a ball around. Talk to them. Listen to them. As the dad of one grown and one not quite grown child, I can only say, the time zooms by. They will be adults before you know it. Make those memories and make them count. OK back to entrepreneurship and all that! 🙂