So moving is time consuming, then, huh? WOW! And there still is that little newborn, and now my class has started for this semester. But, no worry, we push through. Over the course of the move and the first few months of a new life in our midst, in addition to things I experience and learn through my job, I've had several thoughts about fatherhood that I'll highlight here and speak more about in coming posts.
The first, and perhaps most important, is that children long for our attention and time. While these are two seperate things and can be different from one another, they are also very closely related. Either involves the other to truly matter. I think the trap I fall into most is thinking I'm giving my kids time when I might not give them my full attention, when the truth is, I could give my kids a few moments of undivided attention and have it be much more valuable to them than a greter amount of time. The trick is how to maximize both, because there will be times when kids need just a few minutes of our attention to feel loved and appreciated and then it is our duty as fathers to block out significant amounts of time to spend with our kids, and not forget to keep our attention as much as possible during that time. Children are typically much more well adjusted in life and better behaved when they are receiving good amounts of both time and attention from both mom and dad!
The other thing I'm often struck by is the significance of the bond between father and son. Few things in life effect a man's emotions, regardless of background or history, more than the thoughts of the bond or lack of bond with his father. It's amazing to me how readily a man can break down, particularly when facing the reality of the missing or troubled bond with is father. In my mind, this only goes to prove further the signifigance of that bond and maybe how often overlooked it is in society.
So, there you go. Food for thought and a preview of topics to come, in addition, of course, to baby stuff, moving stuff and general father/child activities and discussion! Spread the word, join the conversation! Talk to you soon.
