This week’s theme is fatherhood. Each day I’m sharing a quote from the book “Fatherhood is Not for Sissies” and some of my own experiences as a dad.

Today’s quote really resonated with me about the responsibilities of being a parent.

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings.  ~Hodding Carter

I want what is best for my kids.
I want them to be physically safe, mentally sharp, resilient, family-oriented, know how to have fun and to laugh often.

As a Christian I also want them to be grounded in solid moral values, understanding right versus wrong while loving others unconditionally and having an open mind.

Piece of cake, right?
Not so much.

photo © 2007 Aaron Escobar | more info (via: Wylio)
One of the things I struggle with is that my faith is continually growing. My perceptions are challenged, lines are drawn and redrawn, boundaries are set and reset, yet some principles remain absolute. How do I teach my children the fundamentals, to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”, while also encouraging them to wrestle with the tough questions? Especially those questions seemingly without an answer.

I think the quote above sums it up nicely.

I want my children to be prepared for the world. To have “roots” and the sense of purpose and security that comes with them. I think this is best accomplished by loving them unconditionally and setting an example with the character of my own life.

I also want them to have “wings” and the freedom to dream and pursue what sets them on fire. I think children are inspired by parents who chase their own dreams (with wisdom) and by being allowed to fail. Kids aren’t going to soar on the first try.

I would venture to guess that genuine encouragement and wildly cheering for a child does more to empower them to excel than a mountain of “constructive” criticism. I haven’t always remembered that after I.M.’s baseball games, but when I do I see a sparkle in his eye.

How do you give your children roots?
How have you given your kids wings?

This week we’re focusing on fatherhood. Each day I’m sharing a quote from the book “Fatherhood is Not for Sissies” and some of my own experiences as a dad.

photo © 2009 Ted | more info (via: Wylio)
I think every parent remembers trying to feed their kid vegetables for the first time. I definitely relived those precious memories of trying to force feed mushy Gerber veggies to E.J. after reading this quote:

A father finds out what is meant by a ‘spitting image’ when he tries to feed cereal to an infant. ~Imogene Fey

She didn’t hate all vegetables, but E.J. knew the difference between peas and green beans. No matter how hard I tried to mix it with other foods, E.J. managed to swish it around in her mouth and spit out the greens.

I learned early on not to scoop the vegetables onto the spoon last because E.J. would stop mid-bite and only take the good stuff.

And when it comes to eating in general who knew kids could be so messy? It’s not directly related to their size either. I.M. and E.J. are 5 years apart and regularly compete for who can wear the most dinner on their face.

But, a messy kid is a happy kid, right?

I remember volunteering at a daycare in my teens and one of my friends was trying to keep this little boy clean while he was devouring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She finally gave up and the little boy was covered in the remnants of that poor sandwich with a huge smile spread across his face. A messy baby is a happy baby.

How did your kids handle eating vegetables as a baby?
Who ended up wearing the most food, you or the kid?

Last week was a little more focused on marriage than anything else so this week I thought we’d try out a series on fatherhood.

I am a big fan of books and quotes so for Father’s Day one year L.K. bought me “Fatherhood is Not for Sissies“. It is a compilation of quotes about fatherhood paired with cute pictures of dads with their kids.

courtesy of Amazon

Each day this week I’ll be sharing one of my favorite quotes from the book with you along with my thoughts or experiences as a father.

A father today has disposable diapers and plastic bottles. The only thing left to invent is a plastic toy that will hit the floor and then bounce back into the crib. ~Bill Cosby

I don’t know about you, but when I became a father I was very thankful for those disposable diapers and plastic bottles. I could not imagine having to clean up some of the bio-hazard waste my precious little girl managed to produce using only cloth diapers. Am I right? Some of the diapers I had to change could have been considered acts of terrorism.

Toys that bounce back into the crib is pure genius. Thank you, Dr. Huxtable. How many of you dads (and moms) have mistakenly stepped on a toy and nearly been crippled? Yeah, me too. I swear some toys could be used as an economic alternative to a state-of-the-art security system. Between the noise, flashing lights and sharp edges you’ve got yourself a foolproof defense against even the most ninja-esque intruder.

And on the subject of toys, is it just me or do toys seem to multiply like a pair of bunnies in spring time? In a matter of minutes E.J., who isn’t even 4 years old, can tornado her room into a disastrous mayhem of stuffed animals, dolls and dress up paraphernalia to the point where the floor is hardly visible. I have no idea where it all came from.

What modern invention were you thankful for when you became a dad?