Dads advice - the day is approaching fast!

[MajorCaptSilly]

I can go on for days on this subject. I always knew my parents loved me but they almost never showed any affection for my brother & I. We never got hugs or "I love you's" from mom or dad. It didn't really affect me until I had my own kids. I've never missed a chance to hug them, tell them "I love you", or "I'm proud of you". It was just a natural thing to do for me. It wasn't uncomfortable or forced in any way. I started wondering if my parent's felt the same love for me that I felt for my kids. I think they did but just didn't know how to express the emotion. As I see my kids almost grown, I believe that their knowing the love that my wife and I feel for them has helped a great deal with their self-esteem. They're both very bright but more important than that, they are very caring people.

Make sure to give your kids a chance to be kids. I see too many parents who push their kids so hard from an early age in academics & sports that it is really scary. If they are so focused on the non-fun stuff through their childhood, they will inevitably make up for it when they become adults.

This may sound weird, but never let your kids beat you in sports. The time will come when they will win and it is the sweetest victory in the world for them when they do. My son still talks about the time he first beat me in basketball and actually told me he was glad I never let him win.

MCS

[Razorhog]

Originally Posted by MajorCaptSilly

I can go on for days on this subject. I always knew my parents loved me but they almost never showed any affection for my brother & I. We never got hugs or "I love you's" from mom or dad. It didn't really affect me until I had my own kids. I've never missed a chance to hug them, tell them "I love you", or "I'm proud of you". It was just a natural thing to do for me. It wasn't uncomfortable or forced in any way. I started wondering if my parent's felt the same love for me that I felt for my kids. I think they did but just didn't know how to express the emotion. As I see my kids almost grown, I believe that their knowing the love that my wife and I feel for them has helped a great deal with their self-esteem. They're both very bright but more important than that, they are very caring people.


MCS

My mom was always very loving, but my dad was not. He never said I love you, and never even hugged me when I was little. He did love me though, very much. He was a provider - worked hard for me and my brother. He was a firefighter in Little Rock for 30 years. Just not the emotional type. I saw him cry twice - once when his brother died, and once when I forgot to show up for a mid-week family thanksgiving dinner and they were worried sick about me.
I want to be both a provider and show my kids affection. Life is too short.

[Commander Quan]

Nice choice on the Sienna. For some reason this was the vehicle my insurance company rented me one while my car was in the body shop, it was awesome. I drove around all week practicing yelling at my nonexistent kids in the back seat. I got pretty good with "Don't make me come back there" and I'll turn this damn car around" but still need some practice with "I'll give you something to cry about"

[Razorhog]

Originally Posted by Commander Quan

Nice choice on the Sienna. For some reason this was the vehicle my insurance company rented me one while my car was in the body shop, it was awesome. I drove around all week practicing yelling at my nonexistent kids in the back seat. I got pretty good with "Don't make me come back there" and I'll turn this damn car around" but still need some practice with "I'll give you something to cry about"

I need to start working on some of those too!