Dads, We Sometimes Need A Push

Father's Day is quickly approaching and I must say that I usually feel like the holiday is unmerited by most of us. Before you start throwing things at me, let me develop that thought for a moment.

Mother's Day is celebrated in May and it's well-deserved. We focus on our Moms for one day in response to 364 days of selfless love, sacrifice, and non-stop focus on their families. They certainly deserve a day in their honor, even if their kids and husbands usually fall short in their job of recognizing all mom does for them. Then Monday rolls around and it's back to the regular "Mom, what's for dinner?" language. I think Moms deserve at least a month of focused honor. A day just doesn't cut it.

On the other hand, Dads get the same focus on their "special day" in June. And while I believe (in theory) that Dads are just as critical as moms in the development and discipleship of their kids, for many of us, it's just that...a theory. While we know that Dads are essential and bring critical elements to our families, we often fail in the execution department.

So if we are going to designate holidays based upon our actual "getting it done" as parents, in many of our families, Moms would get their well-deserved month and Dads would get a few hours. If that's not true at your house, then "attaboy!" For the rest of us men who focus far more on work than we do on our kids, then perhaps there needs to be a change.

This Father's Day, as your kids are blessing you with gifts, cards, and some free time to do whatever you want, I pray that God will bring to mind an image from Saving Private Ryan. At the end, when all the men who have rescued Ryan have died and Tom Hanks is about to die, he looks at young Ryan and says, "Earn this." Perhaps this Sunday we can recommit ourselves to being the Dads we need to be.

With that in mind, I've attached a note from Todd Wilson of www.familymanweb.com.  He addresses the reality that sometimes Dads just need a little push to get out of our world and into our kids'.  It's great stuff and a very encouraging read. Enjoy...

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Hey Dad,

 

There are few words that elicit loathing in my mind, words like…audit, root canal, vasec…vasecect…I can’t even say it. But at the top of the chart is the word ‘charades’.

 

I’m sorry, but I’m just not a game person, and charades seems like a game in which you have to act energetic and goofy. I don’t like to do either of those when I’m relaxing. So you can see why I was less than exuberant the other night when my teenage daughter asked if we could play Disney Charades.

 

I hem-hawed and made excuses but somehow I ended up in the rotation anyway.

 

“I’ll just be a guesser,” I said, hoping that would suffice their need for fatherly involvement and was a little perturbed when they said later, “It’s your turn, Dad,” and handed me a card with a famous Disney cartoon character on it.

 

Reluctantly, I stood and did my best, and I think I even smiled…a little. But here’s the deal. Forty-five minutes later we were still playing, and I was having fun with them and they were having fun with me.

 

Later, I was thinking…sometimes we dads just need a little push to get us going. If we could just walk through the forbidding veil of the ‘idea’ of playing a game, going fishing, throwing a ball, building a potato canon, or having a tea party, we’d find a whole new world of family, fathering fun.

 

So Dad, let me give you a little nudge. If you’re thinking of celebrating Kid’s Day (June 21st)^st), here’s a pppuuussshhh. Would your kids love for you to take them out for ice cream, play capture the flag, buy some fireworks, or build a tree house? If so, then here’s a big PPUUUSSSHHH!!!

 

You’re going to have fun…I promise.

 

You 'da Dad,

 

Todd