We learn by example. Whether we’re talking about apples falling near their trees, the preference of onions in a burrito, or the pattern that you write on your child’s heart, the examples children have in their lives create habits and what they expect as “normal” in their life.
So how about what it means to be a man?
The basic idea of what kind of a man your daughter will want, or your son will desire to be, is a byproduct of your example in practical areas of life (not just the “big” areas). It is who you are in everyday life.
You set an example of the way to take up responsibility. You establish the importance honest plays in dealing with those around you. You demonstrate the amount of hard work necessary to build the life you desire (they will expect). You set the precedent on the advantage, or disadvantage, of being kind and generous. You set the mark for the importance of loyalty; the reward of pressing on; the value of believing in something.
Your convictions will be their convictions, that’s how it’s designed. You are an example and they will follow, but keep in mind they will follow, so if there is some “you work” to be done – so that your example is what you want them to follow – take up the responsibility for that truth and take care of it.
Whether you want to be or not, you are the most important example in your child’s life.
I challenge you to intentionally set, for them, an example of a God-honoring man, for His glory, but also so that what your children observe when they look to you is what a man was intended to look like. Then they will not be duped by this society that seems bent on eradicating true manhood from its ranks. If you didn’t have a good example to pattern your life around, change the pattern (you can do it – and know that there are men out there willing to help you), and intentionally be an example for your children. Show them what it means to be a man!
*still wondering what I mean by “what it means to be a man” click here for the pattern I used.