Fatherhood

What I am learning is that being a father is all about balance ... about balancing time and priorities so that my family always  comes first. It is about keeping the priorities and time of the other things in my life (both personal and work) at appropriate levels. I heard this term while in high school: they were developing "well-rounded" students, prepared for several futures. What I am learning now is that there needs to be a well-rounded family experience with components of work, service, values, and ... fun. I have to Plan Instead of trying to work through what each day presents (as I am doing now), I needs to create a fathering plan that allows me to focus on the important aspects of my life. This planning must involve an examination of my values, setting meaningful family goals, and then acting on the goals ... creating a family calendar. I have to Teach I do understand, having worked as a teacher/trainer for as many years as I have that one of my most importa...

For those that have been enjoying the humor in my posts ... sorry, this one's more serious. I've been thinking about what I need to do, as Patrick's father, when he gets older and transitions into a young adult, then to manhood. I need to be a role model .  It is my firm suspicion that there nothing more important to raising a responsible young man than modeling the behavior I hope he will embrace when he becomes a man.  Patrick will learn more from watching how I react and behave in given circumstances than he will from almost anything I tell him.  Jen pointed out the other day that I can get quite irritable with other drivers ... to the point of getting vocal (yes, I can yell and scream at times).  I definitely need to change that type of behavior, before he learns it from me. I need to teach him how to  properly  plan for the future .  Too many men go through life just reacting to what is happening around them ... I know I spent a lot o...