In my 49 years of life, I’m proud of many things I’ve created and accomplished. (I’m sure you have a few that come to mind right now.)
But my proudest accomplishment is being a great father to my two kids.
Make no mistake about it, parenting is tougher than any business I’ve ever scaled.
Especially because I didn’t have the ideal childhood.
Besides dumpster diving for dinner and siphoning gasoline to wash lice out of my hair…
…my parents were hardly home because they worked multiple jobs just to pay rent.
And coming home to an empty home are core memories that I did not want my kids to experience.
So I made it my life’s mission to break the cycle.
And I figured out how to be the best father for them by not buying material possessions.
BUT by creating amazing core memories.
I did this by making it my priority to:
- Have a daily workout with my son
- Attend my daughter’s weekly volleyball games
- Plan yearly family trips
And the memories my kids and I share are moments in time that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
I tell you this as a reminder…
Years from now your kids will talk about you to their kids.
And when they do, what do you think they’ll say?
You see, your kids won’t remember how much you spent on the Christmas gifts you got them or how expensive the family vacations were.
Instead, they’ll remember how you spent time playing with them on Christmas mornings or how you built sandcastles with them at the local beach.
The actions you take (or don’t take) with your kids today will be remembered by them for the rest of their lives.
This is why as a father you must make it your priority to show them love, actively participate in their lives, and create meaningful memories with them.
So take the time out of your day to:
- Tell them how proud you are of them
- Set aside time to take them on road trip
- Be present and support them at their sporting events
Because when you treat every moment with your kids like it’s going to one day be a memory worth sharing…
…years from now, your kids will be asking you how you did it.
They’ll look to you as the role model they strive to be as parents.
And the father they’re glad they had when they were young.
Talk soon,
Bedros Keuilian
P.S. Hopefully this serves as a little nudge to be more present with your kid(s) today.
P.P.S. It’s not the expensive gifts but the small gestures of an “I love you” and “I’m proud of you” that can make all the difference.
P.P.P.S. If you’re a father looking to make a difference in your kid’s life then check out the Squire Program. The Squire Program was created to help fathers break generational cycles and create core memories with their sons.