Man to Man

SUPER DAD!

Last night I had to discipline my youngest child.

I didn’t spank him, but I did get down at his level and express to him that he has to obey his mother and I.

Maybe I was a bit stern for a child his age, but that is a simple maybe.

This came about because he burnt himself on some hot tea. While it wasn’t because he disobeyed, he was told to go take a shower multiple times and had he obeyed, he would not have been climbing near the shelf that had the tea. and he would not have knocked the tea over.

BUT THIS IS NOT WHY I AM WRITING THIS.

You see, after I disciplined him, he started explaining to his brother that his mother was the best mother in the world but Dad is not the best dad!!!

This hurts! It hurts to think that your child doesn’t see you as the hero, as the best…

But then I realized, I am the parent. I don’t need to cater to making him feel happy all of the time.

In fact, if I want to be Super Dad, I need to discipline without allowing my emotions to dictate my reactions. I need to follow what is fair and just in training him to be a functioning and responsible member of society.

Too often, we have parents that let the words from an 8-year-old (or 12, or 15) dictate how we are going to raise and treat them. We want to be liked. We hate that feeling, that hurt, from hearing the momentary, “I hate you,” or “You’re mean.”

While there is no manual, I promise that if you aren’t raising them in a fair manner while teaching them that there are consequences to decisions, or training them to be emotionally mature, you might be liked but, in the end, you will have failed and you will lose any credibility as the super parent. 

After 20 years in the U.S. Army, Stuart Skym has become a proven leader in the field of Health and Safety in industrial, civil, and offshore construction. He is currently the Sr EHS Manager Seattle Area Civil Construction. He holds numerous graduate degrees, his most recent receiving a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from Taft University and is currently working on his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership at Liberty University. His focus is on teaching others to raise their children in a manner that will allow them to become respectable care givers in the future? Stuart and his wife Sherry, live in Coupeville, Washington and have four children and adore their one grandchild.

Feature Photo by Wallpaper Safari