“Dad”…it just has a ring to it. The first time you are called Dad you realize things have changed. There is just a different level of responsibility that seems to come over us when we finally step into this new phase of life. When we become dad we are suddenly responsible for guarding the future of this child that has entered our life. It can be a little overwhelming to say the least. None of us feel prepared and very few us us feel like we do a good job at being dad.

This weekend is Father’s Day weekend and we will be celebrating the dad life and telling our dads thanks for investing in us! No matter what your relationships was with your dad you have to remember one thing in the coming days. Dads have  powerful influence in the life of a child. I know that can be scary but it’s true and accepting this truth is the starting point for becoming a better dad.

I believe every dad can become a better dad. If you are dad then you have a powerful calling to live out. I have to figure out how to be a better dad! Here are a few things I am trying to do as a dad to enhance the influence I have in my girl’s lives…

1. Tell them I love them every day.
2. Tell them they are beautiful every day. (I have 2 girls!)
3. Eat as many meals at home as possible every week.
4. Get in the pool even if I don’t really want to.
5. Use my vacation days and do fun things.
6. Send them texts just to say hi.
7. Say no at times to busyness so I can say yes to my family.
8. Find them cool new music.
9. Watch movies they like.
10. Tuck them in every night and always protect our secret handshake!
11. Protect my marriage and work to make it a healthy one for them to see.
12. Work hard and provide for them financially.
13. Pray for them daily.
14. Calm down when I want to SCREAM when they disobey. (this is hard)

This is a pretty simple list. These are simple things I am doing to be a better dad. If you are a dad then sit down and make a similar list and get to work on leveraging the power God has given you in your role as a dad!