Struggling to lead by example when I mess up in front of my kids | DadHQ

Forums Faith & FamilyStruggling to lead by example when I mess up in front of my kids

Struggling to lead by example when I mess up in front of my kids

6h ago·1 min read

So I lost my temper with my wife yesterday over something stupid and my 7 year old saw the whole thing. I felt awful. I apologized to both of them but I keep thinking about how I'm supposed to be the spiritual leader of my home and here I am acting like a jerk. How do you guys handle it when you fall short? Do you think letting them see me mess up and then reconcile is actually part of the lesson or am I just making excuses?

4 comments85 views

Comments(4)

JJasonRegularjust now

The fact that you're reflecting on this shows a lot. Nobody's perfect and your 7yo will learn more from how you handle messing up than from never messing up. That's real leadership.

SSean M.New Dadjust now

I've been there. Lost it once in front of my oldest and it stuck with me for weeks. What I learned is that kids actually respect it when you apologize and explain what you could have done differently.

DDavid M.New Dadjust now

This is the hardest part of being a dad for me too. You're not alone in this. The good news is kids are forgiving if we show them that we're trying to be better.

RRick M.Regularjust now

Man, that's rough. But honestly the fact that you're bothered by it means you're already thinking about how to do better. Kids are resilient and they notice when parents own their mistakes too.