Why Dad’s are still Important to Teens
“My Dad Rocks!” I saw this on a toddler’s T-shirt. Let’s face it to toddlers you don’t have to do too much to rock. This is a good thing. When your toddler is a teen, the bar gets raised a bit higher. This weekend is father’s day and everyone celebrates differently. There are going to be a lot of ties given out, but in between the presents and the brunches or dinners, I hope that Dad’s will take a moment to realize the impact they still have on their teen’s lives, both sons and daughters.
Sons
Dad’s you are most influential on your son’s behavior. They look to you to be a man and not just in the way you dress, walk, or shave. They look to you for information on how to treat women beginning with their Mom. They are seeking clues on how to make their mark on the world and understand that the footprint is not always large that makes a big impact. Ghandi was a soft spoken man whose voice boomed throughout the world. Teach your sons that the stereotype of being a man is nothing like the everyday hard work of being a man. It requires patience and understanding and the ability to listen so that you can make well informed decisions for others in your family. If the goal of fatherhood is just to provide, your presence would not be so important. Be there and be present since the ripple effect on your teen’s sense of belonging is gigantic. Your pride in your son is food to his soul.
Daughters
Dad’s you are so influential on your daughter’s self-esteem. You are the first man they love. It is the way you love them that they will ask other men to love them. If you criticize they will think they are not good enough and settle for anyone’s attention. If you spoil them their future spouse will be forever living up to that hungry beast of greed and that nothing is good enough, and if you teach them that they are loved and have value beyond their looks and their body, they are going to be self-confident and feel the power of having a Dad who believed in them. With that kind of support they may have the patience to wait for their first sexual experience rather than throwing themselves at every boy or man searching for attention. By giving them the tools to believe in themselves through your belief in them, you let them know they will be alright by themselves too.
On father’s Day, I hope Dad’s get a great new gadget or tie to remind them of how special their role in the teen’s lives are, but I also hope they have an opportunity to appreciate that their teens even if they are taller and wiser than the toddler years still need their fathers and look up to them all the more!
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