Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Dads Just Want To Improve

Whether it is mastering work/life balance or simply keeping your kids names straight, we dads are always looking to improve. Here are just some of the ways the dads of our Facebook community are hoping to improve their dad-game.

Jason Picton: Adaptive thinking…
How I interact with my oldest doesn’t always work with my youngest.
They’re different. Plus how and what I was taught doesn’t always work well for both.
Case in point: I struggled with my oldest on learning how to tie his shoes..
I used the “bunny ears” method since I was a kid. My oldest just didn’t get it despite lots of practice. So thanks to the interwebz I found another method (two knots). To me it’s not as fast or efficient but my oldest picked that method up in 5 mins and I haven’t had to tie his shoes since.
So while stuff is trial and error as a parent, I have to adapt to what works for them individually as well.

Jeff Johnson: Work life balance. It’s so hard doing it all yourself.. I have to work more to afford daycare and keep a roof over our heads! It’s impossible to get ahead with two people and I’m only one. I’m working on a bachelors degree to hopefully land a even better job, but the one I have doesn’t suck to bad just not enough for daycare, house, car, food etc.

Darrell Risk: Remembering their names, I got four kids who’s names all begin with D. I’ll call for Darrell and then when Darrell comes, i’m like what do you want i called for Dexter.

On a sidenote naming your son with the same name as you sounds cool at first but it’s really confusing trying to work out which one is in trouble with the wife.

Shawn Long: Keeping my cool, my son is a kinetic force of nature. He runs full throttle all the time. And when he is in this mode he doesn’t hear a friggin’ thing. He’s almost five but sometimes I envy the parents with chill kids. Mine are so not chill.

Chris Kelly: Talking to my kids, particularly my daughters about healthy eating. It’s such a difficult subject… I don’t want them to feel bad about themselves, but they’re weight is unhealthy and the Dr is telling me that they will have serious health issues in their 20s. And they aren’t even very heavy.

Corey Eckenroth: Not being so hard on my kids. They’re just kids, and they have time to enjoy their childhood before the weight of this life bears down and the reality of grown up life begins.

Rod Wendel: I look at the limited time I have with the kids in the evening and think I’d like more time and more patience… it’s hard getting an hour with 2 kids a night there pumped to see u your knackered and thinking about the washing, cleaning, money … work… and sometimes u don’t give them the quality they deserve.

Christopher Caly: Balancing the amount of bills I must pay to keep the roof over our head along with trying to spend as much tine off as possible to be with my kids.

Skip Jenkins: They are just kids and we are adults just trying to figure it all out but at the end of the day. I want to just be a better communicator with my kids so we understand each other.

Dusty Kolar: Remaining calm in bad situations. Because maybe, if he see that, he wont grow up to make mistakes I have made.

Lee Risley Jr.: Understanding how to raise my daughter in this day and age.

What about you, dad: what do you want to get better at as a father?

Flickr photo by pentecostalsofoc.