If you’re like me, you are used to losing arguments like a pro by now.
When it comes to small or big lessons in life that I feel my children need to learn, I try to be as simple and on point with my words as I can. I try to make sure they grasp what is being said by asking questions to gauge if they’re up to speed with what I’m saying.
Well, that don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes my kids will stare back at me with glazed over eyes and the words “PLAY MODE” clearly scrolling across them. Other times I actually think I’m getting through to them but just when I think they’ve got it, they’ll turn to me and say something completely unrelated like, “but daddy I want that toy”. I get it kid, the last minute or so sounded much like white noise to you.
But still as fathers, we persevere and carry on this way time after time. We sometimes may even realise that we aren’t taking our own advice.
Well, stick to it boys! As it turns out, they do listen.
My wife and I have told our girls that they need to be helpful, that they need to clean after themselves when they’ve finished playing. For the most part it’s felt like that plane was soaring way over our kids’ heads. But then one day something amazing happened.
We brought our latest edition home from the hospital. Our oldest daughter instantly became a young woman. Bringing nappies (diapers) and baby wipes when they were needed, talking to the little guy to keep him from crying and so on.
In fairness, we had told both of our daughters that they would need to be more mindful of their new sibling as he would be very small and would need extra attention.
All that aside, we never asked our oldest daughter to spring into action like she did. In fact, neither I or my wife asked her to do anything, so we were actually quite pleasantly surprised when we saw this change in her.
Well, kids will be kids. And as time has moved on a little, things have settled. As much as they can when there are young kids in the house.
I guess what I want to say is, keep teaching and guiding as much as you can because they will one day turn around and amaze you when you least expect it.
-Ben
The Baby Daddy files. 
I loved reading about your fatherly advice, although I am a Mama. I still relate to many aspects of parenting and found it very interesting. I have two girls who are 10 and 7 years old and they amaze me everyday by what comes out of their mouths or how they react to different things. I followed your page and hope to see more blogging from you soon!
I’m new to this and just did my first introduction blog yesterday. I’ve been wanting to blog for over two years now and just finally got up the courage to do so. I love expressing my feelings through writing, I’ve always been much better at writing someone a letter than speaking to them in person.
I’ve had some challenging and difficult times throughout my life from dealing with a rare connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and several other health issues, some include mental health (depression/anxiety), and even grieving over a loss of a close loved one. Now, my plan is to turn my negative experiences into positive experiences by helping others out with similar situations. I want to also blog about so much more! Especially, my girls! That’s just a few that I’m very passionate about.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
To check out my introduction blog, here is the address: Expressit2017.webpress.com
-Ashley
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Ashley! I’m glad you liked what you’ve read so far. I too am still fairly green at this but I’m sure I’ll get better with time.
I’m saddened about the health complications you face but really like that it’s not holding you back from living life. I also read your first blog and parts of it really resonated with me.
I recently had my grandfather pass away so I can relate to that type of loss and what it means.
I am and will be following your blog so I look forward to many more posts from you.
-Ben
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for following! I’ve been really doing a lot of brainstorming for my next blog, I’m not too sure which subject to shed light on and express it in a positive way.
I’m very sorry to hear of your loss. Sometimes life can be extremely brutal and especially involving death. It’s never easy and takes so much time to heal through the grieving process. I want to turn myself around this year and focus on appreciating what I have in life, instead of dwelling on what’s gone. I know my grandmother wouldn’t want me in the state of mind that I’ve been in this past year and would only want me happy.
I really appreciate you checking my blog out and hope I can post some future blogs that you may be able to relate to as well.
-Ashley
LikeLike