"Kids Racing For Life"

Please forgive me if I haven’t responded to your post yet. I can only read so many before the flood gates open

I wrote this years ago after the death of my dad.
I still think it’s fitting today.
WHAT IS A DAD?

What is a Dad?
A Dad is a work in progress, finished only when it’s too late.
A Dad is a contradiction of terms by definitions. His ultimate
success is not measured in income or powers but by the moral
character of his children, judged at the end of his job-his death.
A Dad better believe in God because it may be the only way he’ll
know if he was successful as a Dad.
Which do you remember more about your Dad: a camping trip;
learning to cook a meal; a companionship or his criticism?
Which will your child remember the most?
What do you hear yourself saying the most?
Come here and help Dad and let me show you how to..............,
Or Go along and play, Dad has work to do.?
Ask any child who has just reached the age of reason what they
want most, quality or quantity time, and the universal response
will be, ‘I want more time with Dad doing “fun stuff”’. Now don’t
forget that “fun stuff” to a child is a lot different than to a parent.
A walk in the park with just Dad, sitting-fishing-anywhere with or
without bait (it really doesn’t matter), playing a game (kid’s style).
You don’t need to be a Disney Dad, just not a Distant Dad.
It takes a “Real MAN” to be a “Real DAD”. A man never stands
as tall as when he stoops to help a child.
Remember memories are more important later in life.
• Coaching will potty train faster than commanding,
• Coaching will teach more than criticisms,
• Compliments will encourage higher achievement
than: put downs or comments like you could or
should have done better or you can do better next
time.
• Words from Dad can help -- heal -- or hurt.
Only you choose which -- no one else puts words in your mouth or
forces you to use or say them. When you look into those little,
loving eyes what do you want to see?
The love and admiration of your child or fear and intimidation?
The choice again, is yours, because your child’s face is a mirror of
emotions that reflects you.
Look at your childhood; do you want your child to repeat it? - YES!
Then copy the good stuff and improve upon it.
NO! - Then don’t overreact.
Act with a plan:
Plan morals and teach by example, do as I do as well as what I
say: Don’t send to Church - take them and teach them to worship!
Plan to make your children proud by standing up to government
officials that are trying to take your freedoms away; just like your
fore fathers did over 200 years ago, to protect your family as they
did theirs. Plan love and how to show it and how to give it,
remember the more you give away, the more you have to give;
plan to be unconventional:
Be a Dad that teaches your daughter to race go karts,
Teach your sons to cook a meal,
Teach your daughters to be a craftsman, tools, wood, cars etc.
Teach your son to care for an older person or a handicap child.
Teach your child to play Hockey in Florida or swim in Alaska.
Don’t just go to the game but, give of your heart and your time to
be with your child and expand their interest.
Your son wants to learn music, or your daughter wants to take up
weight lifting and you don’t know how to do these things, LEARN!
Learn together, it will give you a common bond of interest and
understanding of what it is like to learn together. Just imagine the
first duet you play together for the family and friends, the first
scuba dive trip you take together on a reef in the Key’s.
Remember doing that with your Dad! No! Do you wish you had?
Let these thoughts be your guide:
It will be hard for your son to grow up to be a turkey when he
spends his youth in scouts working his way to eagle.
Your daughter can score a perfect 10 on the runway as a model or
a test pilot or reaching for the gold in the Olympics. You will get
your gold medal as Dad for taking them there by the hand.
Written Sept 1996
Stephen©6/16/2024