Southeast Texas Men’s Ministry
Modern Day Dad – Divide and Conquer or United We Stand
Today’s edition of “Modern Day Dad” is entitled “Divide and Conquer or United We Stand?
Part of our Southeast Texas men’s ministry goals is exploring the opportunities and challenges of being a father in the 21st Century – it is a great time to be a dad!
Each weekend, some Southeast Texas families pile into the SUV or minivan to head to a ballpark or dance recital as a united front and other’s split into two cars – maybe one headed to the Little League Park and the other to cheer practice.
On today’s Southeast Texas Men’s Ministry blog we look at a common issue for parents – managing the activities of our children and the time of our family unit.
In our household, we have two boys. One is “all sports” and the other is into “hanging out with my friends- jumping on the trampoline, swimming in the lake, and making up outdoor games”.
On the weekends, it can be a challenge to schedule family activities. If there is a weekend long baseball tournament do we all go? What about our younger son missing out on two days of playing with his friends?
Like many Southeast Texas parents, we do our best to find balance. Many times, we’ve all gone to the ballpark together. Other times, one parent will head to the ballpark and the other will supervise swims at the lake or trampoline sessions in the backyard.
This weekend, my wife is in Spring with our older son watching baseball and I’m at home periodically peeking into the yard to make sure our younger son is having fun (and periodically feeding him).
Often one resolution is not right or wrong, but it is important to maintain an effort at indulging each child’s interests.
On weekends when we do take our “fun with friends” son to the ballpark to watch his brother play, we find ways to keep his interest:
- When he was younger, he enjoyed being a batboy for his brother’s team and the coaches were very accommodating. Today he practices with the older team and does an occasional appearance in the outfield.
- Sometimes my wife or I will skip one of our older son’s games (leaving the other at the ballpark to cheer) and take our son swimming at the hotel pool or to a local kid’s attraction in whichever city the tournament is in.
- On a sports weekend, our older son has basically picked the theme for the whole weekend. We let the other child pick other activities to achieve some balance – where we eat that night, music in the car, or tourist activities.
Having children with different interests can lead to some time management challenges, but balance can be achieved.
In time, each child will appreciate that you made an effort to support their interests.
The main thing for me is remembering that both boys are growing up before our eyes.
I want each of them to look back on their childhood without doubt that we were focused on letting them live their childhoods.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s edition of “Modern Day Dad”, our Southeast Texas men’s ministry blog.
Being a dad these days is more fun than hard, but it still does require a little work and an effort at maintaining balance.
Until next time, enjoy each opportunity to create special memories with your child.
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