I'll confess I strive to be a great father. I fail far too often. Sometimes I come home and I want my alone time. I veg on my ipad or watch my show on TV. I've worked hard that day and I deserve it... so I think.
I'm always hearing older fathers tell me that, "They'll be grown and out of the house before you know it." I usually smile and nod politely dismissing their wise words. But they are too right.
If a Dad spends an average 6.5 hours with their children every day week, as research shows, that means in a year they will spend 338 hours with their kids. That comes out to a grand total of 2 weeks out of the year with their kids. During the first 18 years of a child's life the father will spend 254 total days with their kids... That's not even 1 whole year before they leave the house. Wow, that sucks. No wonder they're gone before we know it. On average we don't spend a whole year with our kids before they're gone. [Compare that to almost 3 years will be spent with our TV during that same 18 years period, ouch.]
Courageous Movie Trailer
As fathers it is time we start to bump that number WAY up. Come on guys let's at least get an hour a day in (And much more). The time we have to invest in our children is extremely valuable and apparently quite rare. Don't go home a ignore the kids. Go home and invest. The difference that we can make as a father is incredible.
Here is your homework- Go see Courageous in theaters. Get a baby sitter for the kids (This time away from them will be well worth it) and you and the wife go out and see this movie. It might give you a swift punch to the stomach, but sometimes we need that. You'll cry, you'll laugh, and you'll leave changed.
