A thought on fatherhood
// January 19th, 2011 // No Comments » // General
**Update: This post was originally drafted on 25 December 2010 – but as we started our baby readiness drills it was never finished. After the birth of our son, I’ve finally had a chance to finish it.**
As we count down the days to the birth of our son, I can’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of fatherhood.
I’m not necessarily referring to the act of changing nappies, feeding a baby or being worried about the pyjama drill. I’m looking forward to that experience and getting completely immersed in all those things and more.
As I look to my Creator as the perfect Father-figure, so too do I want to be the role model for my child. And that’s what sometimes scares me. Am I the role model (with my faults) that I want him to grow up to be like?
Recently two things prompted this thought. A “scary” analysis of my timesheets of 2010 revealed an average working day of 14 hours – 15 if you had to count one particular project into the equation.
No sane man can sustain this, and have a balanced family life. Hopefully 2011 will be much improved.
The second was prompted by a post 5 of the Best ‘Surprise Ending’ Songs Ever.
As the author mentions:
“Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin…no matter how many times you listen to this, especially if you’re a parent, the onus is on you to not get choked up.
The chorus goes like this:
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man on the moon.
“When you comin’ home ?”
“Son, I don’t know when.
We’ll get together then.
You know we’ll have a good time then.”
Even though these seem quite daunting, I found some comfort in reading Pastor Mark Driscoll’s free e-book Pastor Dad – where he looks at the ways that a father can raise his children well.
One ‘truism’ in this book stands out for me:
Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he is caring for his flock well.
Armed with 10 Practical Pastor Dad Tips, some good common sense, loads of love for my son and my wife and by God’s grace – I’ll be able to bring up my family in the best possible way.
