Starting this week, you’ll find some fatherly advice each Friday. Not fatherly in the sense that I’m acting as your dad, but some simple thoughts from a dad who’s learning as he’s living it. By no means do I know it all. As a matter of fact, I find myself messing up more frequently than I get it right.
This week I want to share with you a simple idea of being willing to dance. Admittedly, I’m not a dancer. I probably have 2 left feet, at best! But my daughter is a princess from the word go. She’s daddy’s little princess and this little princess loves to dance. She will often ask me Daddy, will you be my prince and dance with me?
There was a time in my history when migraine headaches were almost constant. I was working over 85 hours a week and had missed many key moments in the lives of my wife and children. When I arrived home after a long day at work the last thing I wanted to do was dance. My head was pounding and eyes were watering. It was hard to even sit up much less get on my knees and dance with my princess, but I couldn’t think of doing anything else.
Dancing with my 4 year old princess was an easy decision, but how does one dance with his 11 year old son? Or the teenage girl who wants nothing to do with her parents? Finding those dancing moments are absolutely critical for parents and fathers in particular.
I’ve found in my experience that the moments when I dance with my children they are the most receptive to learning. The moments of dancing for me have been around a table of legos or behind the controller of a video console. Whatever your moment of dancing looks like, this will be a life changing moment for your children.
When we dance with our children we show them value and demonstrate our love for them. How are you going to dance with your child today? In what areas are they asking you to dance with them? How will you make time to dance with those who are most important to you?
Many times I have wished that I had “danced” more often with my children than I did.