I’m a man.
I’m a father. I assisted in bringing two fantastic kids into this world.
Am I a dad? I sure like to think so.
You see, the difference in my opinion is that a father can be as little as a sperm donor or authority figure. A dad is a collection of actions wrapped in love to make this world great for your kids and to bring them up as best you can. I don’t think dads (and moms for that matter) should consider it a goal to be their kid’s BFF (best-friend-forever), a dad (and mom) should be so much more than that for your kids.
Am I being a dad? I try. You’ll have to ask my kids what they think.
I’m definitely in need of improvement in various areas. I’m trying.
The challenge these days can be to find a good role model for being a father. Many times what we find on TV these days related to fathering is a bumbling imbecile that has no authority in the house and no respect from his kids or his wife. That’s not the image we need to be striving for in our homes. Sometimes the other end of the spectrum is what we see: abusive, over-bearing, distant and abrasive. Not a good image either.
We need to be better. But who did we have as examples?
Who was your favorite TV dad? Who should be given the head-nod for their portrayal of being a dad and an appropriate father-figure for us as we were growing up? The first dad that comes to mind for me is Bill Cosby as Heathcliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
The Man of the House website is having a contest now that lets you vote for the World’s Greatest TV Dad. After visiting the site myself, there’s some good competition and lots of reminders about the dads I’ve grown-up with on TV all these years ago.
Who did you vote for? Why?
I’d love to hear your comments about how father’s are portrayed on TV. How has that impacted your fathering style? If you’re not a dad (perhaps a child or a wife/mother), what do you look for in your own dad? The father of your children?
