You must be a positive Role Model to your Child, if you want to avoid problems in the future……

It is your duty to be the best possible father to your children and to complement their mother. Your role is very different to hers, but is equally as important, so teamwork is key. It is like a football match. If everyone on the team knows what they have to do and plays and supports each other, they have a much better chance of winning. The sum of your individual parts as a father and a mother is greater if you work together, than if you work alone. It takes two parents working closely in unison to bring up children which is why it is so important for you to be fully involved right from the start.

Your child will observe and copy everything you do, all the time. Boys particularly, will observe very closely what you, their father, is doing. Remember you are his idol, particularly when he is very young, so absolutely everything you do matters to him. Your child’s behaviour will reflect the way you are and how you behave on a day to day basis.

If you are always shouting, this will be considered normal behaviour, or if you can’t be bothered about things, your children will simply copy you. So you need to be a strong, positive and good role model for them. “Your children are what you make them”. You must never forget this, it is key to your role as their father. Here is a list, not an exhaustive one by any means, of a few tips to ensure you are a good role model for them.

Work hard at what you do (paid or unpaid).

Be nice to people, even if they irritate you.

Be polite and kind to everyone you meet.

Be tolerant of other people’s differences with you.

Always help others if you are able to.

Never be aggressive, nasty or react violently.

Be a good citizen and respect the laws of the country.

Be a good listener and give your time to people you meet.

If you haven’t got anything nice to say about someone, then don’t say it at all.

 

“If at first you don’t succeed, try……try…..and try again!” If your child wants it badly enough encourage her not to give up.

Sharing and experiencing your child’s proudest moments will be very rewarding for you both. For example, if your daughter is in a Talent Show at school, try to be there to see her perform. Or if she is in a Sports team and it is a special occasion such as a final, always make the effort to be present. In fact, even for regular school matches, you should try to support your child as often as possible. If her team loses and she doesn’t do as well as she had hoped in the match, you will be there to support her through her disappointment. You can use situations like these to help your child understand and accept that in life you will not always succeed.

I always remember what my mother said to me when I was a child and have used it so often with my own children. It is as true today as the first time I ever heard it. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again”.

This philosophy will help your child hugely as she embarks on the journey of life, as she grows up and goes her own way. Tell her about things that didn’t work out for you and how you never gave up, but moved on and achieved something different. For example it could have been a University which rejected your degree application, or an unsuccessful job interview. But you ended up going to a different place and had an amazing time there anyway. Some things just don’t go to plan and work out differently to how you wanted and imagined it. Your child needs to understand that life can be like this.

But if it is a specific goal she wants to achieve, you can help her keep aiming for it and suggest a different route to achieving it. There are always several ways to succeed, it just may not be the route she originally thought it would be. This is where your guidance, support and encouragement are vital and she will value you so much for this for many years to come.