A Challenge for All Dads Today
Hey everyone. Give it a little bit of time for people to get on, but not much because it’s a dang nice day and I expect, especially up here where we are, kind of in the Northern climates, that most people are outside enjoying the last bit of really nice weather. So, those of you who know me know that one of the things that I feel really strongly about is … And the reason for writing the book is as a challenge to myself and a reminder to myself. And, the only time I usually talk about stuff is when I’m kind of convicted of it or I think I need to pay better attention to it, right? There are times where I talk about it just because I see something else as well, but anyway, I’ll get right to it and let you guys get on with your weekend.
I was watching the boys this morning and every single one of them was on their electronics, like first thing this morning. And I had to think, I’m like, “How much time do these kids spend on this stuff, right?” Just a real quick Google, you know, a GTS, a Google That Stuff, or that other, you know, the other S-word, and there’s a study, I think it was done in 2015, said kids are spending up to nine hours a day in front of media. So, whether cell phone, whether YouTube, I mean, there isn’t such a thing as kids watching TV anymore, everything is a user a-la-carte experience with YouTube, right? Where they get to pick exactly what they want to see, which I could’ve use that when I was younger too.
Anyway, nine hours. Think about that for a second. That’s more than a lot of these kids even get to sleep in a night. And that’s what they’re spending in front of the TV. So this, I call this a challenge for all dads. And the reason I say that is because here’s the thing, dads. We have the potential. These kids are looking for time with us. And now I understand that there are going to be dads out there who are working two jobs trying to provide for their kids. Or mom’s working a job, dad’s working a job, and the time is hardly there, and it’s real easy to give the electronic babysitter the job when you’re trying to get something done. Or when you are trying to get something done, it’s much easier to do it yourself. It’s faster, right?
Well there was this YouTube video about this guy talking about … They posted it for a job, and they said here’s the requirements for the job. The requirements are you basically have to the entire job standing on your feet, 24 hours a day, most likely. There are no breaks. The job requires 100% attention to what’s going on at all times, and there’s really no pay. And at the end of the day, they said, “Yeah, that job is called being a mom,” or it’s also called being a dad.
There’s a difference between being a dad and being a father, right? And the one thing I want to challenge you dads is, take the time to show your kids, your boys, what it is to do something. What it is that you do. I mean, here’s the thing, they’re looking for a superhero. Every kid out there is looking for a superhero, and guess what? By default, you are … I mean in their mind, you are their very first superhero. Until you prove it differently, until you prove to them that you’re not. That can come from you breaking their spirit, that can come from you dismissing them, that can come from you sticking them down in front of the electronic babysitter every chance you get because your things are more important, right?
I get it. I’ve done it. I’m just as guilty of it as anybody else at times. So the challenge for dads is to unplug, turn the damn stuff off for an hour. And here’s the next challenge. Do something they want to do. Ask them what it is that they want to do with you, and then do that. Don’t do something that you want to do. Don’t use your agenda. I mean if they want to color, man up. Color. Remember meet this as a weakness, make this as strength under control.
If they want to do whatever it is, do what they want to do. Show them what a real man does. A real man takes care of his stuff, of his things, of his possessions, of the things he cares most about, right? A lot of men take more care of their crap, their skid loaders, their motorcycles, that type of stuff. They take better care of that than they do their own kids. So that’s my challenge today, guys, just spend a little time. So what am I going to do today? Here’s what I’m going to do. I had one that requested a little bow and arrow time. I had one that requested dirt bike, so I’m going to go ride the little dirt bike, right? Want to talk about a monk, look at something that look like a monkey humping a football. That’s me on that bike. And then the other one wanted to do four wheeler and a little cribbage. So that’s what’s going to happen.
So guys … And here’s one last thing I’m going to leave you with. What your boys and your daughters need is you. They don’t need … They need you to provide for them obviously. There’s that piece. I’m not going to argue that piece. But what they need is you. Your sons need to see you being a strong man. They need to feel you. They need to … By you hugging them, by you being emotionally open to them, by you wrestling with them, your boys, what they’re feeling is they’re feeling what they’re going to be capable of. They’re feeling what that raw power of a man can be, especially when it’s under control. It’s not there to harm them. It’s there to teach them.
So what about daughters? Okay, I’m not telling you you got to wrestle with your daughters, unless that’s their thing and they want to wrestle. But what I am saying is by you being there for your daughters, in that space, it’s showing them what a real man, is how a real man’s supposed to treat them. What they should be looking for in a husband, in a boyfriend, right? So that’s what I got. Unplug them, sometime this weekend. For God’s sake, unplug them. Ask them what they want to do. And just, just be. Just be the dad, be the man with them. All right, guys. Catch you later. Time for me to unplug. You’re not going to catch me for a while. See ya.