Some of My Favorite Daddy Moments

A lot of what I write about is fairly heavy, and usually very serious.  I think that it’s important in all of the seriousness to take a step back from time to time and keep things in perspective.  When I allow myself to do this, it almost undoubtedly directs my thoughts to what’s really important in my life; my children.

Lately, I’ve been concentrating on being less of a nagging parent, being more positive in my speech to my children, and picking my battles.  Recently, I took my three oldest children to the local lake to go fishing.  It was the heat of the afternoon and we didn’t have the right bait.  We were fishing from the bank, and in an area with little to no habitat where fish like to live, move, and eat.  The odds were against us.  We fished (ie: practiced their casting and reeling skills – they got pretty good!) for over an hour, then the kids took their shoes off, waded into the water, and attempted to skip rocks.  It was a blast.  I enjoyed just being there with them, with no agenda, no plans, no rules, just fun.

Now that the weather is warmer, we’ve been doing a lot of this lately.  Playing outside with bikes and scooters, spending lots of time at local parks, and so on.  What I love about this time with them is that we’re making memories.  My kids will either remember how much I worked or how much time I played with them.  I want the work to be there, obviously it has to be, but I also NEED the play time to be there as well.  We’ve also been spending more time in prayer together, which has been awesome.  I instituted a new rule… whenever we see our friend (a true prayer warrior) over at the church, which we live across from, we’re going in too.  She’s there every. single. day. and so are we now.

As summer break gets ramped up, we have plans for more baseball, swimming, bike riding, camping (I’m most excited about camping!), and even some late spring-season turkey hunting.  I hope to update everyone on those as we go.

So dads… and men who desire to be a dad someday… don’t remove the seriousness of life and don’t abdicate your responsibilities, but make time for the fun things with your kids.  I constantly hear parents of older children (ie: grandparents) talking about “how fast time flies” and “how fast they grow up.”  I don’t want to wake up one day and have missed out.  This is my only chance.

PS: speaking of being a fun dad… check out the comedian @jimgaffigan, he’s hilarious and often talks about his kids.  A father of 5, he knows how to keep it light and fun.

TrueMan up!

"It Never Hurt a Man to Try and Be a Better Man…"

… words from Jack Ingram’s latest song, “That’s a Man”. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Andx4tHCQmw]

In the song, Jack sings about a young father working two jobs for his young family, just so they can get by and so he can give them a better life.  He sings about a Marine, struggling with the loss of his buddy, and about how hard he tried to save him.  He sings about a lot of things… what strikes me is that each of the stories has it’s fair share of heartache and difficulty, but in the end, a man does what he has to.  He works hard, has a deep resolve and protects those around him.  If it takes working 7 hot days a week, he does it.  If it means working long hours, he does it.  If it means blood, sweat and tears, he sheds them.  Do others say “that’s a man” about you?

7 Days of Manly Superbowl Stuff – Day 2 (Troy Polamalu Day)

T-Minus 6 Days and counting until Superbowl 43…

Many of you are familiar with the star of the top-ranked Steeler defense, #43 Troy Polamalu (pronounced: poh lah mah loo).  You’re probably familiar with him because of his tenacity, aggressiveness, number of sacks and interceptions, and especially because of his long, curly, black, Polynesian hair.  (Not familiar with Troy? Click HERE.)  You might not be familiar with him because of another reason… his Catholic faith.  Polamalu is a devote Catholic, a genuine family man and a humble servant – off the field.  This picture of him seemingly contrasts his playing style – on the field.  Troy disagrees.  He believes that his passion (for football) on the field is directly related to his passion (for Christ) off the field.  He was quoted in the Pittsburgh Catholic saying “Football gives me confirmation of how I can carry out my faith.  It’s my way to glorify God.”  He also recently started a philanthropic foundation that benefits our service men and women!

His teammates have some things to say about him, too.  “Knowing Troy and how he carries himself, he brings light to the team,” said offensive lineman Alan Faneca. “Everybody respects that.” “He’s definitely one of those guys who lead by example,” said quarterback Charlie Batch. “He’s not a talker when he gets out there, but you see the work he does on the field and produces every Sunday. When you put that combination together, yeah, he’s one of those guys that you’re going to follow … and he doesn’t take for granted that he’s blessed with incredible speed and instinct.”

Leading by example… that’s TRUE MANHOOD.  Way to go Troy!

Check out the full story from the Pittsburgh Catholic HERE.