Krisanna Jeffery A Tribute to Great Dads In a recent
poll carried out by the Invest in Kids Foundation, 1,645
households were questioned to find out that 92% of parents say that being a parent is the
most important thing they can do. And yet the poll also showed that most Canadian parents
are naïve about child development and feel insecure and unsupported as parents. While this
is true for parents of both genders, I think it is especially true for Dads. Clearly, Moms
get far more direction, support, and recognition for their roles. For Dads, it’s a different story. From what I see, many men are confused about their
role as father, right from the beginning. And
those that start off wanting to be be great fathers aren’t really sure what that
looks like. While
it’s true that irresponsible Dads get lots of bad press, this article pays tribute to
the many great dads. Here is a description of some of their common behaviors. I hope as
you recognize yourselves you will let yourself feel some pride. ¨
You were involved with your children
from the moment of conception, as you willingly took on the responsibility of your own
creation. You have supported your partners through their pregnancies and childbirth, even
though you may have at times felt quite out of place. ¨
When your children were born you took a
keen interest in parenting (going against the social norm), while at the same time
temporarily sacrificing your own needs and desires. ¨
Some of you worked, receiving little or
no appreciation, while your partners were immersed in their own parenting roles. ¨
Some of you actually stayed home and
parented, and dealt with society’s judgments that you should be out working. ¨
When necessary, you took over during
crisis, illness, and post-partum depressions, ¨
As the children got a little older, you
found a way to relate to them on their level. You entered their world by using their
methods of interaction, thus forming a trust bond that will last a lifetime. ¨
You educated yourselves about child
development and recognized that your children's future development would be strongly
influenced by your parental bond. ¨
You stayed involved and interested in
your children’s life. ¨
During your children’s teen years,
you made extra attempts to keep the lines of communication open, thus avoiding many of the
possible pitfalls. ¨
You did things with them that they were
interested in. ¨
You continued your own personal growth.
If you missed out on any of the above behaviors, you did what you could to catch up
realizing it’s never too late to be a great
Dad. ¨
You are a great role model! And on it
goes….In short, you love, teach, coach, do endless driving, worry, and hope, for your
children, while not receiving much support or credit. Only you can know the challenges and
joys you’ve experienced as a father. So go ahead, all you great dads. Give yourselves
a pat on the back. You deserve it! For more information, please contact Krisanna Jeffery Copyright © 2003 Krisanna Jeffery www.Krisanna.com |