2 daughters: 9 yrs old & 2 yrs old
3. Toughest part of your Job as a Dad / Mistake(s) made/ Any Regrets in your journey.
The toughest part for me is setting and meeting the expectations of the kids. Kids as small as they might be, have their own expectations from their parents and dads. Matters like protection and taking care of the physiological needs are easily understood, but the emotional matters including simply being at home, cuddling them, listening to their every babble, knowing when to and how to respond to them and ensuring that they feel loved requires some effort.
At the start these are kids and therefore need to be treated as such. Kids don't recognize or even care that you had a bad day, have a million work assignments or are simply very tired, or need some alone time. Yet their constant pursuit and expectations always need to be responded to out of a heart of love even when they are being denied, or corrected. Living that balance cannot be formularized and every situation demands a carefully calibrated response to ensure unintended outcomes are minimized.
I have made many mistakes, but I embrace them as part of the learning experiences. As I reflect, there are many situations that a better response could have been given. Many times where I misunderstood the emotional needs of the kids. Many times where I was a bit impatient or where my own emotions blurred my judgement.
Kids don't always know how to express themselves and are also trying to figure out many things that appear trivial to us... but to them it's a big deal.
I work on becoming a better person. With God’s help I am able to identify vulnerabilities and implement practical steps to improve on them. In that process I become a better husband and father. It is not necessarily an easy process but a necessary one to ensure the stability of the family.
4. Greatest Joy experienced in your role.
The birth of these beautiful girls. I was right there in both instances, and cuddled them just upon their first breath... Oh what a joy to behold the miracle of birth and the safe and healthy arrival of these kids...
5. Nugget(s) of Wisdom you would want to share with other Dads.
Train up a child in the way he should grow and when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6
These days there are many things vying for the attention of our kids... we have a critical role in molding their impressionable minds and setting them on the right trajectory.
Secondly, interact with your kids with great love and care. Allow them to be kids and work with them to become the person God intended them to be.
