I’ve been a father for four years now. I have 4 yr-old and 3 yr old boys and a little baby girl. Before we had our first child, I prayed to God to help me be a good father, to be able to raise my kids and help bring them up well. After having our third child, I’m still praying the same prayer, but now I’m praying harder!
I have to tell you that not one day passes by without me thinking: “Am I being a good father to my children? Am I too harsh on them? Am I too lean with them? Am I doing it right, parenthood that is?” It’s become a seriously haunting thought, and even more, a haunting feeling that I have when I go to sleep and after I wake up in the morning. I ask myself this question a thousand times everyday: “Am I a good parent?”
This question arises not from weakness, spiritual instability, social insecurity, or from lack of self-confidence, but rather from the capacity of love that I have for my children. Like any other parent, I love my kids so dearly that I want the best for them, and the best for them also means that they have the best father – not the best father in the world, but the best father for them. Many times I have doubts about what and how I should do things with my kids. I’m not saying parenting should be perfect, I know it can’t be, but what I’m saying is that many times it can be so daunting in some cases that it may seem extremely wrong, and in those cases, the radical solutions needed cannot be possibly found. In such situations, a father, or a mother, might experience a sense of failure that could lead to loss of judgement. Hence, the question: “Am I being a good parent?”
The question has been already posed many times so far, but what about an answer? How can we know whether or not we’re being good parents? Well, who’s better to answer than our children?! In the following video, you’ll hear moms and dads sharing their concerns about not being good parents, and then you’ll hear their own kids giving them the assurance that they need. In the end, if we’re raising our children on the basis of love, then we’re off to a good start.
If you’re a parent, share your experience in the comment box below. And by the way, you’re doing better than you think!
