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A Fathers New Year
“The great man is he who does not lose his
child's heart, the original good heart with which
every man is born.” -- Mencius
It is a time in our history when it’s
increasingly difficult to feel optimistic about the
state of the world. And it’s a time of the
year when we are flooded by the memories of the
years past, and by the hope of a better year to
come.
There is no better time than now to reflect on
our life. And there is no better time to examine
the state of our important relationships.
For when all of us turn around someday and look
back at our lives, we will treasure most the
memories and bonds we have with our loved ones. As
Mencius stated, those who don’t lose their
child’s heart have achieved one of life’s
greatest callings, that of bonding with their
children.
And if we are to heed this call to bond with our
children, we must ask what our children really need
from us.
In a survey of over 2,000 primary school-age
kids by Fathers Direct, kids were very clear on
what they wanted from their fathers. They did not
want expensive holidays, new bikes, or
computers.
They wanted their father’s time.
They wanted to play ball, to chat at bedtime, to
get help with their homework, and to spend time
“just hanging out” together.
They wanted to be “known” and accepted
by their fathers, and they wanted to know their
fathers.
This can be difficult in a country in which,
according to the Family and Work Institute, the
average man works 49 hours per week, and the
average woman works 43.5 hours per week. It’s
difficult to do in a country in which a large
majority of employees at American businesses (67%)
say they don’t have enough time with their
children.
It is interesting to note that what kids want
from their fathers is the same thing that fathers
want for their kids. And it is the same thing
researchers say is best for kids. It is not just
pockets of time devoted to the kids that we call
“quality time.”
It is time, period.
And as you look ahead at the choices you’ll
make about your family, what are your priorities?
What would you like your relationship with your
kids to look like?
For fathers who would like to keep their
child’s heart, the choices will be clear.
And they’ll be clear to your children, who
will remember them forever.
© 2007 Mark
Brandenburg
Other Father Issues,
Books,
Resources
* * *
To this day I can remember my father's
voice, singing over me in the stillness of the
night. - Carl G. Jung
Mark has
a Masters degree in counseling psychology and has
been a counselor, business consultant, sports
counselor, and a certified life and business coach.
He has worked with individuals, teams, and
businesses to improve their performance for over 20
years. Prior to life and business coaching Mark was
a world-ranked professional tennis player and has
coached other world-ranked athletes. He has helped
hundreds of individuals to implement his coaching
techniques. Mark specializes in coaching men to
balance their lives and to improve the important
relationships in their lives. He is the author of
the popular e-books, 25
Secrets of Emotionally Intelligent
Fathers
 ,
and Fix
Your Wife in 30 Days or Less (And Improve Yourself
at the Same Time
).
Mark is also the publisher of the “Dads
Don’t Fix your Kids” ezine for fathers.
To sign up, go to www.markbrandenburg.com
or E-Mail
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