How To Be A Good Father in 8 Simple Steps
Being a dad is one of the most challenging roles in our world today. You are probably wondering if you can be a good father or how to be a good father to your children.
Of course, preparing for fatherhood is not a one-time, know-it thing. It is a role that requires one to be intentional about each step, and you continue learning as you grow as a father.
Having to understand what it takes and the proper steps to take will help you to get ready to be a dad. This is why we spent weeks reaching out to dads and researching how to be a good father. We came up with five steps to being a good father, and we will share that in this article.
How to be a Good Father
It is not easy being a dad. Your job as a dad starts when you hear the news. Here are five steps to help you prepare for fatherhood excellently. These steps were derived from continuous study and advice from other fathers.
1. Spend time with your children
As a father, you must create time for your children regardless of how busy you seem. Time passes very fast, so if you don’t spend time with them when they are small, you might not be able to do it again. There are different ways to spend time with your children.
Children are sensitive creatures, so If you always seem too busy for your children, they will feel neglected no matter what you say.
How you treasure your children will mean sacrificing other things, but spending time with them is essential. Missed opportunities are lost forever. Take out some time to sit down together and look through family photos.
Relive fun family vacations; you can also tell them stories; your child loves to hear stories from when you were a kid. Also, you can tell stories about when they were younger to make them laugh.
2. Respect your partner
Another way to be a great father is to respect and reference your wife. A father who respects the mother of his children will indirectly demonstrate mutual respect to their children, providing a secure environment for them. Consequently, when your children see their parents respecting each other, they would feel accepted and respected within the father-child relationship.
One of the best things you, as a dad, can do for your children is to honour their mother. If you are married, maybe this goes without saying, but I’ll say it just in case; keep your marriage strong and healthy. It is paramount. Take time, at least weekly, to work on your relationship with your wife and keep it strong.
Even if you’re not married, it’s still crucial to respect and help the mother of your children. When the father and the mother in the home respect and love each other, it helps your children feel secure and safe. Find more on protecting your marriage.
3. Discipline your children with love
Every child needs guidance and discipline in love. Please remind your children of the results of their actions and reward them when they do the right thing. Fathers should discipline their children reasonably and fairly.
Let your discipline be guarded. There should be reasonable limits when you want to punish them. Children will value your discipline best when it is done with sincerity, moderation, and love. You don’t just discipline them; make sure they know the reason for their punishment.
4. Be a role model
Children are good imitators. Children often pick up characters they see rather than the ones you tell them. Your children are watching you and seeing what you are doing, so be very careful about the actions you take as a father.
Fathers are the first role models for their children. A son would learn how to treat a lady from how his dad treats his mother. A girl would know that she is supposed to be loved and respected by boys from how her daddy treats her. Father, you are the mirror they are looking at; try to act good and humble Always.
Most of the flawed characters children exhibit are often gotten from their homes either directly or indirectly. You don’t have to be perfect, but when you make mistakes, accept that you are wrong and amend them.
Fathers, your children are looking up to you, don’t disappoint them. This would make them understand life better. It is a fact that fathers are the first role model for their children.
5. Show them love
Your children need to know you love and cherish them. Children need assurance from you, knowing they are wanted, accepted, and cherished by their families. As a father, try and express your affections to your children, hug them, and be comfortable hugging them. Showing affection daily is a meaningful way to let your children know you love them.
Encourage them when they are not feeling too good. They need you very well. Every child needs their father, so don’t leave them. They need your love and affection to cope on this earth.
Training a child is difficult but do it in love. Say something nice to them, like You can say, “You are special, “I feel so lucky to be your dad,” or “I love you.”. You express your love through words.
6. Be involved in the lives of your kids
This is a significant part of parenting; your kids need it in their lives, so don’t ghost them. Make sure, as a father, you are involved in their lives. Sometimes they might act like they don’t like it but still like it. Ask them about how their day in school was. They want to tell you everything, but they need you to ask before they tell you.
Come to your child’s concerts, ball games, dance recitals, science fairs, and drama plays; just be there to cheer them up.
Let them know you are always there. Sometimes you might be busy, but they want to see that you are trying. Involve yourself in whatever they are doing, no matter how irrelevant it might seem; the most important thing is making them feel happy and cherished by you.
7. Have fun with your children
Don’t be a boring dad, have fun with your kids. You can try dancing with your children when you are less busy. Throw on a fantastic family dance party playlist and be silly; it does not matter if you can’t dance; let them laugh at your dance moves. Just make them laugh and smile.
There are other ways to have fun. Take them to a park, start rough-housing or have a pillow fight. Play sports with them; you can play basketball, tennis, or play catch. You can also tell them jokes to brighten their mood when they are sad. Try to create healthy family bonds and shape positive memories with your children.
8. Apologize to them when you are wrong
As a father, it might be challenging, but you should learn to say ” sorry” to your kids. Apologizing to your children does not mean you are a weak father. It teaches your child how to be a kind, reasonable human being.
It takes strength and humility to apologize to your kids. If you get angry with your kids and raise your voice at them in an awful way, tell your child you’re sorry and that you’ll try to do better next time. It would not take anything from you, but it would fix a lot of damage in your home.
If they want to tell you something and you weren’t paying attention, apologize and ask them if they’ll tell you again to make them feel important. Maybe you promised them something, and you could not fulfill your promise, apologize and promise to make it up to them.
Takeaway
Being here, reading this article already shows that you are a good father. While these steps are significant for you to take, you should also understand that every family is different, and being able to put in the effort is all that matters. We believe this article will help you be the dad you want to be as it has helped other dads.
