10 things I Hope to Teach My Boys – A Father’s Perspective

I’d better hurry and get this posted or it won’t be Father’s Day anymore.  I am one lucky girl to have been blessed with the most amazing father and to have married the most wonderful man to be the father to my boys.  I hope all the fathers out there had a very happy Father’s Day today.  I asked my husband to “guest post” for me today and to share a few of the things that as a dad he hopes he is teaching our boys.   He is a wonderful example of what a father should be like and my boys are so lucky to have him as their daddy.

1-Honesty/Integrity – I hope my boys learn that when you are honest with other people then you will always be able to hold your head up high and will always have a clear conscience.  Too many people  are willing to lie, cheat and take advantage of others but honesty runs deeper than what you do or say, it is who you are.

2-Respect/Courtesy – The lack of respect and common courtesy is a real problem with children today, especially in the family and home.  Kids talk back , sass and insult their parents and other adults all the time, but I hope I am teaching my boys how to show courtesy and act with respect.  This is something you have to teach kids while they are young and the best way to teach that is by example.  If you treat others with respect, your boys will as well.

3-Self-Worth/Self-Esteem-I hope that my boys know that no matter what they are loved.  As parents we often have to discipline our kids and occasionally we get angry.  Also, other kids at school may say and do hurtful things, but if we are doing our job right at home our boys will always feel that they are important and special.

4-Responsibility/Accountability-One thing that will shape the type of person our boys will become  is them learning to take responsibility for their actions.  There needs to come a time when a child realizes that their actions have consequences.  It is not always someone else’s fault when things don’t go the way they hoped they would.

5-Dependability- I want to teach my boys that when they say they are going to do something that they need to follow through.  When they neglect their responsibilities it can have a negative effect on others who might rely on them.  I hope to teach them that when they don’t follow through they are telling others through their lack of action that they don’t care and as a result they will lose trust and confidence which is hard to earn back.

6-Hard Work Ethic- It’s hard to learn some the above traits without getting off the couch and working up a sweat every now and then.    Too many kids today do not know what it is like to really work.  Real work never seems convenient and is rarely pleasant but it is a true character builder. Work isn’t easy and it requires a lot of energy and effort.  I want my  boys to know what it feels like to accomplish things through hard work.  To know that life won’t just be handed to you and if you really want to do something you need to work hard at it.

7-Service- When we serve others we are giving of our time, talents and in some cases of our financial means to benefit someone else with no expectation of receiving something in return.  When we teach our children to serve others they will actually find that they received more out of that service than the person they were serving.   I hope my boys learn to look for opportunities to serve and will be able to feel the gratification that comes from helping someone in need.

8- Value of a Dollar- The way our children learn to look at earning, spending, saving and investing money will significantly impact their lives. We have to learn the value of a dollar ourselves before we can ever teach our boys that concept.  I hope to teach them to be smart with their money and that through discipline and planning they can acquire true wealth and financial freedom.

9-Confidence- The biggest threat to confidence is the fear of failing.  I want my boys to learn that failure is a huge part of life and not always a bad thing.  We will all fail at one thing or another and everyone who has ever done great things in life has most likely failed numerous times.   When we teach our boys to have confidence in themselves, they will see the failures in their life as just another stepping stone to success.

10-Faith in God – This is definitely the most important thing I want to teach my boys.  I hope they will understand that God loves them and is eager to bless them and that they can pray to him for guidance, strength and comfort.