A mother is the source of Dad’s most important endorsement in the eyes
of his children. A mother is literally
the guardian and the gatekeeper of a man’s reputation in the home. A good endorsement from mom can make Dad
great in the eyes of his children; while a bad endorsement from mom can destroy
him. Good Dad or Bad Dad. Much depends upon Moms, what they say, and how
they act toward Dad.
This is not to say that Good Dads do not have a responsibility for their
actions and attitudes in the home. Good
Dads will be attentive and loving, nurturing and providing. This is what Good Dads do. But children will
relate to their Dads in much the same way that their mothers do. If mom likes dad then children most likely
will. If mom does not like dad then it
is almost certain children will not either.
Here are four encouragements for mothers that all begin with the letter
“A.” Lavish these upon your child’s
father and your children will say, “I have the best Dad in the world! My mom says so!”
·
Affirmation: Say great things about your child’s
dad. Build his reputation. Establish your child’s Dad to be the best man
in the world. My mother, Lita Sippy, said
great things about my Dad. One year after my Dad died my mom asked, “Was
I a good wife?” I said, “Mom, you were
an incredible wife. You took great care of my Dad. And that makes you the best mom in the
world.”
·
Affection: Men need affection and lots of it. Children can see if adults love each other,
or if they are acting cold, chilly, and aloof.
Can you imagine a couple who married 50 years who never say I love you
or show any affection? Affectionate
parents foster affectionate, healthy children.
Make your children blush with your affection and they will be
blessed.
·
Attention: Attention is the number one expression of
love, honor, and respect. If you care
about someone you spend time with him. Children
will know you love their father by the attention you give him. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. I like to say, “It doesn’t matter if you like
basketball or the ballet. You like the
person you are with!
·
Absolution: Be forgiving. Guys make mistakes. They are not as romantic and cool as they
could be. They don’t always clean up the
way they ought. But when you accept your
children’s father as he is, and forgive him when he fails, your children will,
too.
Raising children is not easy. It
is not easy raising Dads, either! But
when you raise up your children’s father to be a hero you will be raising up your
children to be confident, hopeful, and secure.
Mothers are the guardians and gatekeepers of a father’s reputation in
the home. A mother’s great endorsement
of a Dad makes him a hero in his children’s eyes.
Jeff Sippy, a Dad-In-Training, is the father of three young men and the husband of Cindy. He enjoys sailing every chance that he gets. He is the senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran in Springfield, MO and can be reached for question or comment at jsippy@rlcmail.org
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