As a dad, you have the ability to positively influence your kids and establish lasting connections. When your kids grow from each age and stage, you can grow your connection with them too! Explore these ideas to cultivating your relationships with your children.
“Dad, come out and play with us!” The snow was piled high and deep, and the boys were in it and having the time of their lives.
I was busy, but if I didn’t drop what I was doing soon, they’d get cold and come back inside — and I’d miss the opportunity.
Therefore, I responded, “I’ll be out in five minutes,” I told them. “And you’d better watch out when I do!”
I stepped into an old, royal blue, one-piece snowsuit. Then I added a yellow bath towel for a cape, and donned a mask to complete the effect. I had transformed into “Blue Guy” — the superhero known only to my kids and a handful of their friends — and I was on the scene again.
From the moment Blue Guy stepped outside, he was all about chasing the kids, tossing them in “jail” and getting beat playing “king of the hill” on the pile the snowplow had left.
By the time we came back inside, we were wet, exhausted and totally happy. We’d connected — adding another layer of strength to our relationship.
It is important for fathers to give regular thought to how dads can connect with their children to encourage positive relationship building.
We want to be a positive influence to our kids and steer them onto healthy paths. And, t’s our job to protect them from dangerous friendships, habits and pressures. Ultimately, we want them to embrace our faith and make it their own.
To maintain that influence, we need to connect with them as often as we can. Life is more fun that way. We get a needed escape from the demands and stress of life. And as our kids get older, that connection will allow us to influence them and speak into their lives. And the more effectively we connect with our kids, the more powerful our influence will be on them.
To connect with 0-3 year old children, we need to get down on their level. Consider these options for doing that:
As a parent, sometimes we long to kick up our feet toward the end of the day and relax. But often we’ll miss the chance to connect and work on relationship building if we don’t get on our feet and get involved with our kids, at least once a week. Each of our kids is different, so we may need to do a little searching to find what they enjoy best.
This is where the challenge to connect becomes tougher — and we have less available hours to connect with them. The older they get, our kids will spend more time doing homework and focusing on independent activities. However, friends and culture play an increasingly larger role in influencing them — and not always in good ways. Therefore, it’s critical that we stay connected. How can we do that?
Maybe it’s at the dinner table. Or at bedtime. But if you establish regular times when the kids can ask you anything, you are subtly training them to come to you with their questions. More and more, your kids are going to Google and YouTube for answers instead of asking you or their grandparents. That may work for DIY projects, but it does nothing to give your kids wisdom. Establish a pattern of your kids coming to you with questions. And if you use the Bible as often as possible when giving them answers, they’ll gain wisdom that they’ll never get online.
What are some things you want your kids to know before they hit their teen years? Talk to your spouse, your parents and others you respect, so you can add to the list the things you may have overlooked. As you teach the kids and make it fun, you’ll be connecting.
I keep going back to this. Often in this stage, parents have the kids do some of the reading aloud to improve their reading skills. But if one of your kids struggles with reading — or with reading aloud — you’ll be taking a special time of connection and turning it into homework time. I’ve found that simply reading to the kids increases their vocabulary and comprehension, gives them a love for stories and helps them gain some of the deep truths that are best conveyed through fiction.
CHECK OUT THE AUTHOR’S BOOK ABOUT CONNECTING WITH KIDS THROUGH FUN, INTERACTIVE DEVOTIONS
I bumped into a friend the day after playing with the kids out in the snow.
“I drove by your house yesterday,” he said. “Did I see you running around in the front yard wearing a cape?”
“Yes, you did,” I said. “And I was having the time of my life.”
I don’t remember what project I left unfinished that day. Whatever it was, it wasn’t all that important. But I’ll never forget the time I had playing with my kids and how we connected.
Copyright © 2019 by Tim Shoemaker. Used by permission.
Tim Shoemaker is the author of 14 books and speaks to parents around the country about living the Christian life in a way that influences the next generation. Happily married for over 39 years, Tim has three married sons, grandchildren and is active in church leadership.
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