Marriner’s Moment: Fearless Fathers With Faith – Pt. 3

As we continue our celebration of Fearless Fathers With Faith, I encourage fathers and surrogate fathers not to get weary in well doing. Raising children can be challenging and sometimes thankless, but keep at it! The payoff of seeing your children enter adulthood – focused, responsible and respective – make it all worthwhile.

Here are a few parenting tips to help new fathers and to encourage others.

Spend quality time with your children. The time fathers spend with their children shows them that they are important to you. If your life is busy and you don’t have much free time, make sure that the time you do spend with them is special, undivided, quality time.

Be a role model. Children do what they see, not what we say. Girls who spend time with loving fathers grow up seeking relationships with boys and men who treat them with love and respect. Fathers have the ability to teach their children what is important in life by demonstrating honesty, humility and responsibility.

Discipline with love. Every child needs positive guidance and discipline. Discipline that is administered in a calm and fair manner reinforces the love you have for your children.
Eat and pray together as a family. An important part of healthy family life is bonding that occurs through family meals and prayer. Dining together provides structure and a good opportunity for fathers to listen to and be involved in the lives of their children. Praying together reinforces your faith and demonstrates godliness to your children.

Earn the right to be heard. Start conversations with your children about important topics when they are young so that difficult subjects will be easier to broach as they get older. Listen to your child’s ideas and concerns.

Respect your child’s other parent. Divorce and separation are realities of life, but even when parents live together, fathers should help provide a secure environment for children. When children see parents respecting each other, they are more likely to feel that they are also accepted and respected within the father-child relationship.

Teach; don’t preach. Teach your children about right and wrong. Use every day life experiences to help children learn some basic life lessons. Don’t be afraid to be transparent with your children. Let them see you as the imperfect being that we all are.

This month we honor Fearless Fathers With Faith! Be encouraged, and be present!

”Peace and power.

© Dr. Melvin O. Marriner,
Grove Church
June 2017