Yesterday I was in Publix and saw a man with his son. The little boy was probably 4, maybe 5 years old. As they were walking in, the boy pointed to the two race car shaped shopping carts that were sitting unused along with all the other carts, and asked to ride in one of them. The dad, with no hesitation, said "No, it has a flat tire, we are going to use this one," grabbed a regular cart and put his son in it.
Let me be the first to say, these things are terrible. They are like pushing around a bus. They are hard to turn and even harder to try to maneuver around the grocery store. However, Cooper loves to ride in them, so if there is one available when I go to Publix and he is with me I let him ride in it. Is it irritating to try to push the big 'ole cart around Publix? Yes. Is it a big deal for me to let Cooper ride in the cart and get over my selfishness? Absolutely not, because who knows, that may be the last time I get the chance to push Cooper in a shopping cart.
Now I am not, by any means, a perfect dad. Most of the time I am learning on the go, as I try to balance fun with discipline with general life lessons to a 2, almost 3 year old little boy. But you see, I am molding Cooper into the man he is going to be, whether I intentionally do it or not. I am also, hopefully, teaching Cooper how he should be a a husband to his wife and a dad to his children. He is going to be that man/husband/father sooner than I want to admit, so I have to act now. I have to be intentional with the things that I do with Cooper. That doesn't mean that everything has to be fun and games, but it does mean that when the opportunity presents itself, I must take full advantage of it. I must be intentional in how I treat Cooper and his mom. I must be intentional in taking advantage of opportunities that I have to mold Cooper, whether that's with fun or with discipline. And I must be intentional about creating opportunities to raise Cooper into the man and dad that God intends us to be.
What are some of the things your mom or dad did with you that have left a lasting impression?
2 comments:
We just talked about this last night Jeremy...mostly about how we won't lie about something to simply appease the boys...like the dad saying the cart had a flat tire...Cooper is very lucky to have a dad that recognizes these things! (not all children have godly fathers like you and Charles!)
Great and timely post. Thanks for the message and the words of wisdom. I agree with your words and those of Jennifer. Good man!
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