Dad Tip of the Day – Make sacrifices in order to spend more time with your kids.
The thing a child wants most from dad is TIME together. Time is limited, so dads need to make sacrifices in order to spend more time with their kids.
The most obvious sacrifice is sleep, especially during the early years. The days of staying up late and sleeping in need to be traded for flexibility and less sleep overall. I am reminded of this today as I had a rough night with our daughter where she was up from 2-4:30am – extra coffee for me today!
Another sacrifice a dad can make is doing fewer fun things with his friends in order do to more fun things with his kids. This is a harder shift, as guys like to catch a game or have a beer with buddies as a way to unwind and relax. A dad needs to determine his priorities, so if his family is truly the priority (as it should be), then these guy days/nights will be fewer and farther between. Balance in life is good and healthy, so keep doing those, but know they are backstage to the kids.
Work is another area where men need to figure out their priorities. As a guy, I have a strong drive to work hard and advance in my career. However, nights are very difficult at our house as both kids need to be bathed, read to and put down to sleep – it is a huge challenge for one person to manage multiple kids in this process. I have had to make a concerted effort to leave the office in the 5 o’clock hour in order to get home and help with dinner and bedtime routines. This has meant more working lunches, fewer breaks or doing work at home when the kids are sleeping in order to do my job well, but still be there as a support for my family. Yes, finances are important as you have to eat and have shelter, but if you can get that done and still be there for the kids, finding the right balance of your work and family time will be extremely beneficial to the overall welfare of your family.
This dad tip is nothing new, but is a good reminder for myself to make sure I am doing what I can to maximize my investment of TIME in my kids, which I have found pays great dividends and a huge return on investment in the form of family unity, appreciation, and love.
Brian
You are the man! You have your priorities straight--it's an investment that pays off in far more than money. I made a conscious decision to make time for my boys--coaching them in sports, mostly--and I could not be happier for the way they turned out. Sure, it's tough to take direction from some at work that would be reporting to me had I gone the other route, but I don't regret it when I consider the benefit. Keep up the good work, dad, you make us all proud!
A true man is who mange health family and wealth together !
lovely post mate :)
how old are your kids??
Thanks buddy. Jacob is nearly 3 years old and Kendra is 4 months old... thanks for stopping by!
This is so good to see and read. We feel the love when we read your post. And YES; it is good to find and make more time for the family. The little children grow so fast, and it should not happen that you miss this important (and very nice part) from their life.
It seems to me that for many people whose children are grown and have busy lives of their own, those people never regret time spent with family and they wish that they had spent even more time appreciating their kids while the kids grew up.
It's a wise man who knows how to foresee the things he will never regret doing while it is so easy to get caught up in other things that that feel very important at the time. Good call!
Cute Baby💜
Couldn't agree more. Thanks for underscoring the need to focus on priorities and balance in family life. Enjoy your time with your kids today. Kudos and all the best!
Its not easy being a dad
You have work your life just to make sure your family is happy
But as a dad I would always recommend we spend time with our children
Let them feel loved by their fathers
Not work work work always
I'm still not a dad, but I can relate to the sacrifices you're talking about in other ways.
Spending time with the family and loved ones is vital for me, I declined my fair share of high paying jobs simply because they would take that away from me and that is something I wasn't willing to abdicate.
Quality of life above all.
You are 100% correct with this post a real father will always fine time for his kids
Its good to see someone posting things like this on here. I have struggled with my work to find enough time for my family. I'm working on creating ways to be home more, but have to make certain sacrifices to do so. Thanks for the encouraging sentiment expressed in your post here.
Hey Brian, Hope you don't mind me joining you in the "Dad Tip" community. I think this is great. I have a 3 year old, a 2 year old and 1 baby girl due in June. Your post is something I must do. I also work my tail off and when I get home I feel like I can still earn somehow. Sacrifice! That's what I need to do for sure. They are only this age once. Soon I will be the one waking them up! Thanks again, really valuable post.
That’s great! You are truly blessed! Please, the more tips out there for me and others, the better!
Yes, definitely a good reminder. I have five young kids myself and am less than two years into my career as a lawyer. Law is not a field known for having stellar work-life balance. It has been tough to push against the culture. A good portion of people are in the office before me because I help with getting everybody ready for school and driving our oldest to school. And I am usually one of the first to leave. This does mean that certain opportunities pass over me, but there is no doubt that it is worth it. It's always nice to see other dads taking their role seriously. Cheers.
Wow, that is great. Yes, that culture must be tough to find work and family balance. You have your priorities right, and I am sure many of your colleagues will regret so many hours and say you were the smart one... you can’t get that time back! Best to you my friend.
I am a couple of days old in steemit and have not posted anything yet. I have been doing a lot of reading to familiarize myself with the platform and the community and this post has been by far my favorite. I am a father of 6 and I couldn't agree with you more about children wanting TIME together with their father. Thank you for sharing. Your children are lovely.
Beautiful your children, I like the love and time that you show, I have 1 daughter and it is beautiful there are always new things with them and a lot of love blessings for your children @brian.rrr
They are beautiful, so good that you can share so much time with your little ones that you are lucky
happy family @brian.rrr
Very good post.
Your child is very compact in playing together.
Nice family :)
My friend @brian.rrr you are a good dad that good that you share so much with your children and you are there for them I congratulate you are beautiful
Great to see a family post, it's always nice to get to know the people we're following here on Steemit!
Boy, really wonder when it's gonna be my turn!
Hopefully, no Dad Bods for me lol.
I definitely agree, children want out time and attention. That is what matters for me, and life can sometime take over and you forget this. So thank you for the reminder!
all sacrifice for the family is worth it and when it is done with love it is no longer a sacrifice, it is a pleasure to do everything for your children, a real man visualizes his priorities and children are the priority! Congratulations for being an excellent father!
Nice post Brian! I am also a dad and I am knew to steemit. Sacrifice is definitely something that is required to be a great parent. I am thankful that my 2 year old sleeps through the night now and I can count on a full night of sleep, but I remember the days of walking and rocking and singing and hoping that she would finally fall asleep. Its exhausting, but the exhaustion builds character, and I wouldn't trade the time I spend with her for anything! Thanks for the insight and inspiration!
Amazing! I can totally relate with everything u said in your post. As a new Dad (baby close to 2 months), the arrival of my bundle of Joy totally changed my plan. Like you said in your post, I get lesser sleep and way lesser 'me time'... Yo know the amazing part of being a Dad lies in the eyes of those babies...they just gaze into your eyes and ur heart will instantly melt... I plan to be self-employed soon so that I can have more family time.
PS: Being a Dad is easy, being a REAL DAD requires sacrifices!!! and to be candid there are few REAL DADS out there...@brian.rrr happy to find one here, im following you immediately!
This was such a great post. It is great to hear that you will truly make the time that is needed for your family. I know they are greatful.
Great post! Personally, I can never hear this message enough. I need it everyday. Thank you for that!
You are the best 😘
Thanks for sharing your certainty of being a Dad with us...
reminds me of my Dad( for so much he has done when I was a kid too like yours...)
And I think your kids would one day definitely realize for you being their Dad and I think they are blessed by you...