Sports and Fathers

[Woody]

The word of our prophet:

Quote:

The father should enforce in his family the sterner virtues --energy, integrity, honesty, patience, courage, diligence, and practical usefulness. And what he requires of his children he himself should practice, illustrating these virtues in his own manly bearing. {MH 391.1}

But, fathers, do not discourage your children. Combine affection with authority, kindness and sympathy with firm restraint. Give some of your leisure hours to your children; become acquainted with them; associate with them in their work and in their sports, and win their confidence. Cultivate friendship with them, especially with your sons. In this way you will be a strong influence for good. {MH 391.2}

Please folks realize the importance of the word of our prophet when she says that fathers should join with the children in their sports. Go Niners.

[cricket]

What sport do you participate with your children in, Woody?

[Woody]

Woody doesn't have children at home anymore.

[Woody]

Nice Dgrimm. When I had my son at home .... we would watch Football together. I really was a bonding experience.

[olger]

[joeb]

HEY ALL

when my 3 sons were smaller---we had a bad mitten set---horse shoe set---crochet set

and we had big balls for kick ball ---and i play all the games with my sons

dgrimm60

Now this is participating your children's sports. Watching professional athletes participating their sport on TV is not getting exercise and participating in your kid's games. There's a big difference.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: dgrimm60

HEY ALL

when my 3 sons were smaller---we had a bad mitten set---horse shoe set---crochet set

and we had big balls for kick ball ---and i play all the games with my sons

dgrimm60

Now this is participating your children's sports. Watching professional athletes participating their sport on TV is not getting exercise and participating in your kid's games. There's a big difference.

Not all fathers are able to actively participate in their childrens' sports.

[Kevin H]

WOODY

yes it is the spending the time also that is important

dgrimm60

AMEN!!!!!

[olger]

Spending time with children is generally a good thing, but we should probably qualify the activity.

Ma Barker spent lots of time with her boys.

G

[joeb]

Not all fathers are able to actively participate in their childrens' sports.

I can understand that. I'm not able to participate in anything physical with my grandkids either. Fortunately I was able to participate in physical things with my stepkids. It would have been tough not to have been able to do that.

But, that being said watching TV is not participating in something real, as in something a/your child is actively doing in their everyday life. I'll give a for instance. How about playing board games? How about using nature to be a teaching experience about God? How about teaching them to do something like using a microscope, telescope, etc... or reading age appropriate books to them and then discussing with them what they learned from the story/book? All of these things are interactive and build bonds, much better bonds than watching something on TV that is the antithesis of what God wants us to be.

I really failed at some of these things with my stepkids so don't think I'm putting you down. I'm just talking about what I learned from my mistakes and some of my successes.

My step daughter has a love of reading, and she hated learning how to read, but I was still able to instill that love of reading in her. It's one of the best things I ever did for her.

It's also one of the few good things my parents were able to do for me. The best, by far, memories I have from my childhood are rolling on the floor laughing my head off at the antics of the animals in Sam Campbell's books. I have a love of reading, and world found inside books, to this day. And that love of reading is what brought me to Christ. If I hadn't loved to read I would have never turned to Great Controversy series when laid up with torn ligaments in my ankle, and through that seeing the love of God for me even though I was reading them while stoned.