Thoughts on being “That Dad”
It has definitely been awhile since the last post. Ever since starting Grad School, I’ve been focusing way too much on my journey, and not on everyone’s journey around me. This includes my family.
This being said, I want to discuss a highlight of mine each week. I absolutely love taking our son to Tae Kwon Do. Is he the biggest? No. Is he the best? No. Does he have the highest color of belt? Hardly. Does he have fun? YES! I love to watch him squirrel around, mess around, and sometimes actually do some kicking and punching. Through it all, he’ll tell you the best time in class is when they play dodgeball before class. I don’t care. He makes me proud, and he’s just so funny to watch.
So imagine how I felt when a Dad stormed to his son after class on Tuesday, yelling at him (in front of every parent and kid in the hallway) for sitting down on the sidelines towards the end of class. Why was he sitting there? I don’t know! I do know he is a sweet-hearted 7 year-old, and probably wasn’t in trouble. His Dad wasn’t there to see what happened, and ask his son about it. He walked through the double doors, saw his son on the TV monitor…and assumed he was in trouble. Needless to say, said kid was on the verge of tears walking out the doors. We all felt sorry for him. I feel sorry for the Dad. He just doesn’t get it. I do not want to be “that Dad”.
It’s good to be married to a woman that doesn’t want to be “that Mom”. Take for instance this video. It was E’s first dance class. She is a young 3 years-old. Was she the best dancer? No. Did her taps go with the beat? No. Was she having fun? YES. Why care about the details. Think about your actions as a parent, and don’t forget to encourage your kids to have fun. They’re only young for awhile, you know. They have a long journey ahead of them. Why not be an encourager.
