As you may know, from the last post, my mother-in-law (Nancy) was buried last week. The formality of family gathering, planning, attending a Wake, performing the ceremony, and laying her in the ground, was relatively new to my kids. My boys, who are older, slightly remember their great grandparents passing, but they were quite young. […]
Author: Ricky Cassford
Taking the Kids to a Funeral
Death and kids don’t always go well together, but it is something that happens, no matter how much we’d like to shield our kids from it. It is important to allow them the opportunity to grieve as much as you need that yourself. Grieving is a healthy thing. In ancient times they would stop everything […]
Don’t Talk “Down” to Them
When my second son was around two, we were sitting at a restaurant that had butcher paper on the table tops. My older son was sitting in a chair next to his mother, and on the other side (the booth side) of the table is where my second son and I sat. As we waited […]
Do You Want to Go Fast, or really, really Fast?!
I work with a gentleman who is a few years older than I, divorced, and recently has found the joy of children, whether seeing them in the restaurant, out “riding the bike” (as he says), or taking pictures of families – as is his new hobby. He seems to have had a good home life, […]
Build a Trust Relationship
One of the most difficult parts of being a dad, is consistency. The patterns that we live by are picked up by our children and become part of their “normal.” The trouble is if you have a habit, or pattern of behavior that is not something you are proud of there will be no […]
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
(“…find out what it means to me” — Aretha Franklin) Society tries to teach us that respect must be earned, or deserved, before it can be given. I disagree. Especially when it comes to children. Most parents would agree that unconditional love is the key to a healthy upbringing, and on paper that sounds like […]
Be That Man, Today!
As men, we often get caught up in who we could be, and stop thinking about who we are right now. I personally live in my ideals more than I live in my reality. Or perhaps you’re the opposite, and the world of ideals and goals escapes you because your reality is so vivid. Whichever […]
The Model of a Man
From the moment your child was born you were their hero. In fact, there is a massive correlation between how your children see you and how they will someday see God. You gave them life. You were the difference between life and just another egg that got discarded from their mother’s womb during her “time […]
The Lebron James Analogy
Imagine if you were playing a pick-up basketball game after work, and Lebron James just happened to be passing by, he saw a drive you took to the basket to score, and then made it a point to stop and tell you that it was a nice move. You would be beside yourself thrilled (if […]
Just Try
About three years ago, I had an opportunity to be part of a mission trip to Nicaragua, with my son. We went to the informational meeting primarily for my son Wesley who was 15 at the time, and part of his “15 Year Challenge” include going on a mission trip that year. At the meeting, […]