Do you ever see the "perfect" family - they live in the perfect house, drive the perfect cars, have perfect kids, perfect clothes, perfect hair, perfect lives.
They drive me nuts! We can't seem to pull that off, no matter how hard we try!
I grew up in a "southern" home, and as any good southerner knows, a southern home must be perfect. The house be perfect, the kids must be perfect, everything has to be perfect.
Honestly, my personality pushes me to be the superdad with the perfect family. It's who I am. Reality, though, has taught me that being a superdad is both exhausting and impossible, and that the "perfect" family probably isn't so perfect after all.
My kids will occasionally lie, fight, say a bad word, yell, scream, disobey, and be disrespectful. They're not perfect. Our house isn't perfect, our cars have dents, and our life is sometimes screwed up.
I'm not superdad.
As a dad, I want to hear my kids laugh, know when they cry, and recognize when they need help. I want to provide for their needs and some of their wants. I desire that my home be a refuge, a place where they have the freedom to experience success and also failure, and reap the consequences of both. I want to teach them to be responsible for their actions, because someday soon they will bear full responsibility for them. I desire that my home be a place of laughter, a place where my boys want to be. I want to provide leadership that is consistent, loving, and patient. More than all of the above, I want our home to show my boys Christ.
Sometimes, all of the above describes our home. Sometimes, though, none of the above describes our home. Many times my wife displays all of the above, and I display none. I'm not superdad....
As I age (read - get old! Ha!) my priorities are changing. I'm learning that I don't have to be superdad. I'm learning that my years with my boys are much shorter than I realized, and that I don't have very long to impart my values, my beliefs, my God.
I'm learning that I just want to be "dad".
The years ARE much shorter than you realize. I watched Kasey walk across that stage last May, and started thinking: what have I NOT told her? Kirstie will take the same walk in two months. Now, what have I NOT told HER?
ReplyDeleteTake full advantage of your time with them...
sd
Great insight, sometimes it takes slowing down and realizing there is only one super dad, His name Jesus Christ, and the rest of us aren't worthy to loosen His sandal straps.
ReplyDelete