This article is excellent and right on point! I think you’ve issued the kind of challenges that can make us all better fathers.

I have one contention and it refers to spanking which you did not directly mention. Are you referring to spanking when you say: “DON’T HIT! This damages a child’s self-esteem and ability to bond and attach emotionally?”

I am a father of four and have found that loving communication and spanking from the heart of correcting a child who has demonstrated deliberate disobedience has yeilded fruit of honest, caring, respectful, obedient and delightful children. I read a book titled, “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp, and from experience, I have found this philosophy to have actually drawn my children and I closer together and increased our love for each other.

When spanking is administered according to the points in your “discipline” bullet, it is a highly effective and useful tool as a parent to guide your children to becoming the great people that they are destined to be.

It would be neat for you to meet and interview my family and see what conclusions you would draw from observing us from a clinical point of view.

Sincerely,

Russ Zacek

I think the best gift we give our children is to actually look them in the eye. Television, Internet, Advertisers have no qualms about grabbing our sons and daughters by the ears and drilling deep into their minds through their eyes.

What a gift it is for a father to stop, put down the distraction and look right at his son or daughter while they speak. It’s a powerful moment for a child to know that for those moments, they are the sole object of their father’s attention.

Thanks for this very good post.

-Sean
http://www.daddyteller.com