Happy Father's Day - Maybe

Father's Day is a good time to remember that men, just like women, have a need to feel appreciated. In fact, for many people, it's the only day of the year a man DOES feel appreciated and then only if he's a father! And, unfortunately, even then some of us are left wanting. I think the last two years my teenage daughter ignored the occasion completely and that hurts, take my word for it!

If your father is alive, celebrate him. If he's not, as mine is not, remember him with love and recall the good times. If you're married with kids, show your husband what it means to you to have him as the father to your children. Encourage the kids to shower him with love and appreciation.

Now here's an idea I bet very few people think of and consider doing: If you're divorced and have kids, do something to show your ex-husband - the father of your children - that you appreciate his efforts at BEING a father. A funny thing about men (heck, women are the same) is that if we're shown that we're appreciated for our efforts it makes us try that much harder to do a good job! Whether it's at work, in a relationship or marriage or being a dad, encouragement is like a magic potion for our souls. It's much-needed fuel to keep us going.

I like to say that love is something we have inside; it's not something someone brings us, it's something they bring OUT of us. And the reason we like being loved and in love is what it brings out of us is our best and we like the warm, fuzzy, glowing feeling of being the best person we can be. The same is true with feeling valued and appreciated: it brings out our best characteristics and makes us WANT to give back, to try that much harder to be the best we can be. It also makes us feel a whole lot better about the person who made us feel that way. The point here is, if you want an amicable relationship with your ex, the father of the kids you both love, make it happen on this special day. Give him a call and tell him that no matter what, you appreciate him for being a father and for giving you the wonderful opportunity to be a mother to those kids.

To my fellow dads out there, Happy Father's Day!

Owen
coach@man2woman.net