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May 20

Blind Spots For Dads

May 20th, 2008· Filed Under: Fatherhood · Money

by Joey Watkins

Last night I was reading a chapter in the book Created For Work with my almost 10-year-old son. The chapter was on blind spots and tells a story of a time when the author, Bob Schultz, nearly killed himself in the woods one day on a runaway logging skidder because his foot was unknowingly mashed down on the accelerator while he stood on the step-up platform to hitch a ride. Because of the noise of the engine, the driver had to literally punch Bob’s leg off the accelerator to save him from a deadly accident.

Bob then ties this story to the problems we each face in life — in our work, our family, or whenever life gets out of hand — and encourages us to consider if we may be at fault.

A blind spot, of course, is some flaw in our actions, our talk, or our character that we do not see but others do. We don’t know what our blind spots are because if we did, they wouldn’t be blind spots!

For many of us dads, our blind spots are in the areas of pride, ego, selfishness, impure thoughts, and love of money. I know a man who worked as a sales manager for a business owner who had a blind spot in the area of his money. His business grew extremely well financially year after year and developed a very large surplus of cash. However, the business owner kept most of the profits and shared relatively little with his sales manager. His blind spot was a false sense of security in his money.

Knowing we have blind spots should humble each of us. Our wife, our children, and those in our work environment are usually the ones best able to help us identify our blind spots because these people spend the most time with us and know us best.

Let’s step up as family dads and have the courage to ask them what our blind spots are. Do it honestly, and don’t be defensive when they tell you. Just listen, pray about it, and then begin changing your ways. You’ll be a better person for it… and a better dad for your family.

“Who can understand stumblings? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.” Psalm 19:12

Resource For Boys

Dad, here’s a great way to spend one-on-one time with your 8-16 year old son. Read aloud with him each evening from this book, Created For Work. Each chapter is very short — only 3 to 5 pages — and uses an adventurous story in the life of a carpenter/handyman along with scripture to communicate principles of life, work, and character that our boys need to learn during their transition to manhood. The writing style is wholesome, engaging, and communicates spiritual truth to boys such as diligence, initiative, honesty, promptness, responsibility, and much more. A highly recommended FamilyDads resource. Learn More and Order

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Tags: blind spots, bob schultz, created for work, dads, ego, Money, pride, selfishness

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May 02

Preparing our Children For Life

May 2nd, 2008· Filed Under: Daughters · Fatherhood · Money · Sons

Important question today for us dads…

What are we doing to prepare our children for life?

Yes, we may be sending them to school every day to gain academic education. But what are WE doing as their dad (not “outsourcing”) to prepare them for… LIFE?

Just asking this question logically brings up a preceding question: Aside from academic knowledge and skills, what do our children NEED in order to be prepared for life?

Here’s an example… Something all dads would probably agree on is that our children need wisdom about money. They will need to know how to balance a checkbook, the difference between needs/wants/wastes, delayed gratification, impulse buying, borrowing money, dangers of debt, investing, etc.

Relationships, spirituality, communication, and health are just a few of the many other areas.

We dads have the privilege, authority, and responsibility of preparing our children for life - but we must be intentional.

I know how easy it is as a dad to miss this in the busy-ness of our own daily life and our work, and to just passively let our kids grow up alongside us.

So I encourage you to give deliberate thought to this matter of preparing your children for life. Pray about it. Discuss it with your wife. Make a written list and bullet points associated with each area. And at the appropriate ages, begin to implement each item on your list, so that your children will be WELL PREPARED FOR LIFE!

Today’s Recommended Dad Resource

Living On The Third River is a very easy-to-read and practical resource to teach your children about money and financial provision from a correct Biblical perspective. It begins with a story (parable) of 3 men who live on the side of a mountain along three rivers and how each man uses the water flowing down his river. The author then gives exceptional teaching on money, mammon, sparrow faith, and receiving more of God’s unlimited resources to channel into His Kingdom. This resource can help you and your family gain a new, profound understanding of a lifestyle that depends on God’s provision and blessing others with the resources God has entrusted to you. Learn More and Order


Mothers Day SpecialĀ  Save 15%

This special 2-book combo makes a great gift for a mom raising children in today’s world. Highly recommended by a mom whose life has been greatly impacted by both of these books.
Learn More and Order


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- The FamilyDads eNewsletter is sent out to dads 1-3 times a week by email to offer encouragement, practical advice, and notifications of helpful resources in your role as a father.

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Tags: dad, dads, family, father daughter, father son, raising children

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