The Things You Don’t Think Matter…Do For Your Kids!

With a rambunctious five year old and a bubbly “Energizer Bunny” two year old running around the household every day just catching a breath is a feat unto itself. I sometimes take for granted and underestimate the influence that the role of Dad has on these little precious souls. Dad has a unique role, he’s not Mom and he isn’t always the one they run to when they are hurt but as a role model he is at the top of the pyramid of influence….right adjacent and slightly under Mom of course .

If you have forgotten that your little ones don’t see, hear and absorb everything, every minute all the time, you may have fallen into a foggy zone of oblivious over stimulated parenting much like I had. The bottles, the diapers, the potty time and the toys that seem to multiply like frisky rabbits in the Spring; all over your house, backyard, in your vehicles and even in your briefcase all distract you from the real important stuff. What’s that you say, what could be more important than doing your part in coordinating the logistics of parenthood? Well in one word, the thing that is more important than all the daily minutiae of raising a family is…..YOU. That’s right, you.

Dads are great at providing the experience liquid that feeds your little sponges minds. You are the raw materials for the amazing little factories in their heads that are constantly learning and developing.  Every action, every word and every expression on your face is observed, processed and filed within your child’s brain. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a proponent of letting the diapers fill, the toys obliterate your floors and the potty gather dust in the garage. What I am suggesting however is that you recognize the positive role your interactions play in your children’s development.

Last weekend, a glorious summer day in Vancouver I might add, I was enjoying a leisurely day at home with the kids. I needed to cut the lawn so I promised myself I’d play with them right after finishing this relatively boring task. After finishing the front lawn, I moved to the back. As I got ready to start the mower, my son toddled out onto the lawn and looked up at me with an inquisitive face, pointing to the mower. It dawned on me that this was a new experience for him and as much as it was boring for me it was as exciting as a Las Vegas Blackjack Table on a hot streak for him.

I grabbed his toy bubble mower and we proceeded to mow the lawn side by side. My son copied my every move parallel to me. Turning when I turned, stopping when I stopped and beaming a contented smile the whole time. We finished the lawn and did a “high five” over the great job we had done together. A little later at lunch my son proceeded to tell my Wife and his sister…in his 50 word vocabulary…..how he had mowed the lawn with Daddy.

My lesson, take the time and turn the mundane into the amazing. You will see the world through wondrous eyes and build your children’s confidence and appreciation of the daily joys in life.  Remember, the things you don’t think matter really do.