It has been over two years since I first read the Huffington Post blog entry by Justin Ricklefs titled 15 Things all Dads of Daughters Should Know. Truth is, the 15 things seem like no-brainers when you read them. But in practice, I find it difficult to feel like I am successful in all of those areas on a regular basis. As a result, I’ve revisited the article every month, religiously (I have a monthly reminder set), in an effort to remind myself of the importance of being a positive role model for my daughter, and as a regular check on how I am doing. And while I am still working toward perfecting my role as dad to my daughter, I have been thinking more about what 15 things I should focus on in raising my son as well.
After reflecting on my own childhood and the past ten years of raising my son, I have identified 15 truths for raising a strong, loving, compassionate, caring and empathetic dude.
- Teach him the power of love by telling him “I love you” every chance you get. He wants to be loved by you just as much as any daughter. He may shrug it off during his teen years, but he wants to hear it on a regular basis. Our family started saying “I love you” regularly from the beginning (props to my incredible wife for bringing this practice from her family to ours). Now, my son and I rarely end any discussion, phone call or text exchange without those three powerful words. Sometimes he says it first, sometimes I do. But it is a regular reminder…
