Being honest with my kids about my own struggles | DadHQ

Being honest with my kids about my own struggles

1w ago1 min read

Had to sit down with my boys this week and admit that I've been short tempered and not showing them the love of Christ like I should be. I apologized and asked for their forgiveness. My oldest actually hugged me and said he forgives me and that he still thinks I'm a good dad. How do you lead by example as a Christian father when you're constantly falling short? I'm learning that being real about my failures and pointing them to Jesus is probably the best example I can set.

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Comments(7)

BBrett M.New Dad1w ago

That takes real courage to admit that to them. My boys are still little but I'm already dreading the day they notice I'm not as patient as I should be. How did they react?

MMike R.Regular1w ago

That's real parenting right there. My kids see me lose my cool sometimes and I always make sure to apologize and explain what's going on with me. Builds way better relationships than pretending to be perfect.

DDerek M.Regular1w ago

This right here. Being real with your kids about your own struggles is one of the best things you can do for them. Shows them that being human means messing up and trying to do better.

JJason T.Regular1w ago

Man, that's the kind of parenting that actually sticks with them. They'll remember that conversation way more than any perfect version of you would've.

JJason T.Regular1w ago

That takes guts man. Our kids need to see that their dads are human too and work through stuff. It actually makes them more understanding when we mess up.

DDerek M.Regular1w ago

This is something I struggle with constantly. Teaching my boys that it's okay to have bad days and admit when you're wrong is way harder than I thought it would be.

RRyan M.Regular1w ago

How did they react? I've been working on this too and it's scary to be vulnerable with your kids but they seem to handle it better than you'd expect.