tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13695482001650975022024-03-06T01:17:01.485-06:00It's Good To Be The DadFathering - an honor and a challenge. The world's future depends on us doing our very best. Encouraging and inspiring, It's Good To Be The Dad helps you grow as a dad.Clark H Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14025763330804109506noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-91460950248184210812013-11-04T10:38:00.001-06:002013-11-04T13:16:26.857-06:00File Under: Time Flies
I want to share something pretty interesting with my IGTBTD
readers today. Friends of mine, Duane and his son, Curran, recently
participated in some wacky steeplechase-ironman-grungefest. There was all kinds
of running through mud and fire and everything wonderful. Here's a picture of
the two of them going through one of the water hazards.
What a great scene, father and young adult son Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-8025363116860014812013-08-05T09:51:00.000-05:002013-08-05T09:51:05.033-05:00School DazeMy journey toward Empty Nesting is now just days... heartbeats... away. Youngest son will wave goodbye to Mommy and Daddy in less than three weeks and be off on his "grown up" journey. Many of my readers are in my shoes. Many others of my readers are preparing for the first day of Elementary School.
I've got something for each situation. Enjoy these re-runs posted last summer, but still urgentlyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-40703453316163468602013-07-29T13:48:00.001-05:002013-07-29T14:25:14.900-05:0010s Get 10s
We have a saying around our house, “10s get 10s”. It’s not a
law of the universe, more like a proverb (which simply means something proves to be true often enough that you
can generally rely on it). Think of the clichéd high school romance – the football
quarterback and the cheerleader. It’s a cliché because it happens often enough
in reality that we understand what it’s telling us… “10s get 10sUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-20225204146282943792013-07-23T13:31:00.000-05:002013-07-23T13:40:34.382-05:00“Am I Doing This Right?”
In my high school’s impoverished library sat a lonely book
entitled, (Those Awkward Years) Twixt Twelve and Twenty. What high schooler is
ever going to read that book? We were
living it!
Turns out Pat Boone recorded the most
gosh awful song ever based on that title. But the lyrics… if you can avoid
the music… tell an all too true tale.
They say the years
Twixt twelve and twenty
Are the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-67427695460809933232013-06-24T08:08:00.000-05:002013-06-24T08:08:14.901-05:00What’s Worse?
The old joke goes something like this…
Q: What’s worse
than finding a worm in your apple?
A: Finding half a
worm.
Here’s another one…
Q: What’s worse
than an unsupervised three year old learning how to start a lawnmower?
A: … we’ll get to that in a minute
First, I want to tell you about a wonderful man – family and
friends called him “Daddy Don”. Daddy Don was a gracious and generousUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-7430686664457187682013-06-18T10:21:00.000-05:002013-06-18T14:45:32.973-05:00“Am I Kissing Him Too Much?”
“Am I kissing him too much?”
When my first son was born, I was overwhelmed with joy and
love. I just wanted to gobble him up with affection. But I had never been down
this path of life before and I didn’t know what was
Baby Isaac... and the happiest dad in the world!
“proper”. I think every dad
shares that vulnerability.
A new article on the AP wire, The
new dads: Diaper duty's just Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-88529847084214226682013-06-12T09:28:00.000-05:002013-06-12T12:19:59.319-05:00Flip The Script
My research
associates at the Internet tell me that “Mother's Day began in 1870 and
became official in 1914 while Father's Day only became official in 1972”.
Furthermore, my associates inform me, “In recent years, retailers have adapted
to the holiday by promoting greeting cards and traditionally masculine gifts
such as electronics and tools.”
My sources don’t come out and say it clearly, butUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-53674179440126252852013-06-05T12:24:00.000-05:002013-06-05T12:24:07.803-05:00Dads, Amp It Up!
My youngest son’s plans for a high school Senior Trip did
not materialize as he had hoped, so he invited my wife and I to host him in
Chicago for a long weekend. Our pleasure!
Over five days we took in all the sites and calories our feet and
waistlines could withstand. Downtown Chicago is very accessible by
walking or by short hops on mass transit. But what amazed me was Gideon’s “competency”Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-60662375260045504462013-04-02T09:14:00.000-05:002013-04-02T13:20:03.407-05:00March DadnessA long season
of college basketball is winding down to the championship round. The wins and
losses are tallied and a few go on, most go home. As always, the stories behind
the game are what matter, what last. Hot off the press, enjoy this interview I
just did with Kansas basketball legend, Danny Manning. Be sure to read my
comments that follow.
from www.coachmanning.com
Q1... Danny,
you’re Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-29346326362755994752013-01-14T14:01:00.004-06:002013-01-14T14:39:36.580-06:00Carhartt vs Yoga PantsQ: Why does a worker wear a Carhartt coat to the winter construction site?
Q: Why does a 15
year old girl wear yoga pants to high school?
Clue: The answer
to both questions is exactly the same.
Before I reveal the astounding answer, let’s see how the
purveyors of Carhartts and yoga pants promote their product.
Two wildly different commercials, wouldn’t you say? I
wouldn’t.
I Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-52258144747297979782012-12-11T14:11:00.003-06:002012-12-11T19:46:59.540-06:00The “AND” ProblemA college professor stunned me when he made me realize, “Only
in America (any first world country) do we brag about food products with NO
nutritional value.” He illustrated with
diet sodas with zero calories. Food is
how we get calories (fuel) into our bodies.
But we have such a wealth of nutritional food available to us, we have
problems with EXCESS calories (stored as fat).&Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-27664356613956157512012-12-04T11:11:00.003-06:002012-12-04T14:53:19.728-06:00Learning to Be A Better DadI recently posted some musings about “a parent’s final grade”.
One of my son’s actually read the post and agreed that a lot of the grade is
based on what the child takes from his youth into adulthood. And we talked about a significant example…
Our four boys came in “sets of two”. Isaac and Noah were born in 1985 and
1987. Joshua and Gideon came along in
1993 and 1995. AUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-33892580758291379302012-11-26T13:30:00.001-06:002012-11-26T15:05:50.650-06:00Druncles… or A Parent’s Final Grade
I call this photo
"Family on the Rocks"
because that's what it is, nothing more.
I want to pose a question to my readers: When do parent’s
get their final grade? When can we say, “this
is what I have accomplished as a parent”?
I have my own idea about when I can survey my work as a dad, but I’d really
like to hear from you. Email me or post a comment on Facebook. In the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-66895233466140098992012-11-20T11:18:00.000-06:002012-11-20T11:22:03.597-06:00Christmas Gifts – What and Why
When I was in college I was invited to house-sit the homes
of several upper-middle class families.
Just days before one Christmas, I spent the night in a home of a family
who’d flown to Colorado for a pre-Christmas ski trip. The home left a great impression on me.
In the family room, a tree stretched from floor to 12 foot
vaulted ceiling. It was decked and
trimmed from Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-59760976207971514112012-11-13T09:32:00.001-06:002012-11-13T09:32:39.459-06:00Say Who All We LoveAn acquaintance of mind, David Patterson, once wrote some of
the most precious and poignant words I’ve ever read:
“Home is where you first hear
your name spoken in love.”
Think back to when your baby entered your home. Think about the words you cooed to that
precious child. Think about the
tenderness with which you spoke those words, including your baby’s name. Love Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-89193544974341255672012-10-02T21:32:00.005-05:002016-03-07T17:23:59.544-06:00You Only Need One Of AnythingJust watched the ESPN 30 for 30 movie “Broke”. Stunning!
(If it becomes available online, I’ll post the link here.)
Through pro athletes telling their personal tragedies, “Broke”
presents a painfully real montage of squandered wealth and opportunity. The movie-maker acknowledges the problem – in
most cases, athletes come from poor homes and communities, become extravagantly
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-18553842862410180502012-09-18T09:20:00.001-05:002012-09-18T09:28:14.944-05:00Disciplining the "Big Deal"As a young child and into my teen years, when my brother and
I fought, my mom would often intervene by saying, “You’re just trying to hurt
me.”
Of course, now I see that attempted guilt trip for what it
was, but even as a youngster I was perplexed by her being so far off base. I fought with my brother because I thought he
was a dork or he had something I wanted.
How my mother Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-1549858391725776372012-08-09T08:51:00.003-05:002012-08-09T10:11:49.788-05:00First Day of SchoolYesterday I posted some thoughts about College
Drop Off Day. Today, I’m looking at
the other end of the spectrum – First Day of School (especially first graders).
The first day of First Grade is an exciting time for
students and overwhelming moment for parents.
Two decades later, I still have part of a lump in my throat from my
oldest son’s first day. Here’s a short
video Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-82208804882395420062012-08-08T10:31:00.000-05:002012-08-08T10:34:09.650-05:00College Drop Off Day SuccessFor millions of children, August means back-to-school. For some, August will present an entirely new
life experience – college. Having
dropped off a couple kids at college already, I’m keenly aware of the cocktail
of personal and family emotions that “Drop Off Day” (DOD) brings. This short video captures DOD our first time
around. Note: If you put a 10 year old
in charge Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-2692453433346486372012-06-20T14:08:00.002-05:002012-06-20T14:09:56.377-05:00The Dad Box
I was fortunate to be able to speak at my home church on Father's Day 2012. My topic was "The Dad Box". You can watch the video on YouTube.
Every father builds a box that his children will eventually inherit and carry around in their own lives. My dad was not perfect and The Dad Box I got from him has some stuff in it that I'd rather not have to lug around.
On the other handUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-21447990071736179182012-06-12T11:56:00.002-05:002012-06-12T21:27:48.177-05:00Father's Day... Only Half The Story
There's a lot on my mind and a lot on my plate as I approach Father's Day. I've been invited to preach at my home church this Sunday. Topic: What Children Need From Their Father.
I think... I hope... I have enough material. I'll post my message next week and you can judge for yourself. But the bottom line is I'll only get to half the message.
There's a paradox in Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-12348471798373869002012-05-16T08:40:00.002-05:002012-05-16T08:43:03.664-05:00"...For The Rest of Her Life"I’m the father of four
boys. The only thing pink in my house is the dampness indicator on my
cell phone battery.
I have no idea what it’s like to
sit at a tea party, to sit in front of WalMart selling Girl Scout cookies, or
to sit with a daughter who’s just had her heart broken by a boy. To me,
it’s like visiting Holland. I’m sure it’s a nice place, but I’ve just
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-14745805582951827182012-05-07T10:06:00.000-05:002012-05-07T19:25:42.384-05:00"I'm Telling You For The Last Time..."
Traveling cross-country, we rolled into a Holiday Inn “Holidome”
on an endless stretch of interstate somewhere in Kentucky. I’m sure Holidomes seemed like a good idea when
the genius marketing guys first came up with it. “The entire family can play, refresh, and
relax in an indoor pool playground just feet from their hotel room.”
In reality, the cavernous pool enclosure in
an Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-80036949549604682722012-05-01T08:33:00.002-05:002012-05-01T08:35:19.128-05:00Thou Shalt Not Covet
“Don’t make Craig C___ your god.” My dear mother would often wash me with those
words as I left for high school in the morning.
Craig was BMOC. He was charismatic, a
gifted actor, musician, artist, and handsome as the day is long. If you were proto-typing the perfect American
male, you’d start with Craig and not tweak much. Even two and three years after moving to thisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1369548200165097502.post-2529902532698348632012-04-25T08:54:00.003-05:002012-04-25T10:13:15.656-05:00Dad's One Task, Do It Well
In time, I learned my kidswould let me pay them towork around the house.Great arrangement!
Today, I’m sharing what may be my low point as a father. I write this with sadness and humiliation. I hope some dads will "learn on my nickel" and do things very different.
Our first house had "problems". It seems the foundation was affected by gravity, but the frame of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com