Once upon a time, there was a very successful man. The problem was, he was a good man but a bad father. To make a long story short, his kids turned out to be really rotten—stealing on the job, sleeping around with customers, you get the drift.
If we’re not careful, we can make the same mistakes. We can be well-intentioned and love our children dearly but still mess up. So, avoid the four big fathering errors outlined below.
1. Being preoccupied with things other than your kids. What takes up most of your time? What fills most of your thoughts? Are you aware of what your children are doing, reading, listening to and watching? Do you know their friends? If you’re preoccupied with things other than your children, shift your focus back to them.
2. Refusing to see the reality of who your children are. We love our children, but as the saying goes, love can be blind. Of course, we should look for the good in our children, but we also need to be realistic when it comes to seeing them for who they really are. It is only then that we can help them grow in their challenge areas.
3. Rationalizing our children’s wrongs. “He’s really a good kid; he just attracts bad friends.” “She’s really a nice girl; I know there must be a reason she talked back to her teacher.” When our children do wrong, we owe it to them to give them loving consequences.
4. Failing to respond to the warnings of others. If your child’s teacher points out troublesome behavior, don’t just listen—do something. If you have caring friends who tell you that your child is headed down the wrong path, don’t get angry at them or defend your child; take their warnings to heart and act … for the good of your child.
All Pro Dad is Family First’s innovative and unique program for every father. Their aim is to interlock the hearts of the fathers with their children and, as a byproduct, the hearts of the children with their dads. At AllProDad.com, dads in any stage of fatherhood can find helpful resources to aid in their parenting. Resources include daily emails, blogs, Top 10 lists, articles, printable tools, videos and eBooks. From AllProDad.com, fathers can join the highly engaged All Pro Dad social media communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
