One of the most important factors of being a parent is training our kids as they grow to become the individuals that God created them to be. In order to do this, we have a very specific role to play. As dads, we get to exercise positive influence in the lives of our children.

This may sound daunting, but it is a critical aspect of helping our kids grow into the person that they have the potential to be… the person that God created them to be. I believe that there are six things that we can do to to help our kids, and in doing these things, we will have a very positive influence in their lives.

Over the course of the next few days, I want to take a look at each of these in depth, and examine how we can do each of these things as well as possible. In the meantime, let’s briefly highlight each of them.

Help Your Kids Know Themselves – This is a very important aspect of your child’s growth. Your child needs to know who they are. This includes two major factors: your son or daughter need to understand their identity, and they need to know their purpose.

Help Your Kids Develop Their Gifts – Of my six kids, none of them are gifted in the same way. Each of them has a specific set of gifts and talents, plus spiritual gifts given by God, that I can help nurture in their lives.

Help Your Kids Find Their Passion – What excites you? What gets you more pumped up than anything else in life? This is probably some facet of your calling. Did you ever stop to consider that your children have passions too? They may not know what they are yet, but as they grow, our role as dads is to help them identify these.

Help Your Kids See The Value In Others – Living life in a selfish manner will only serve to cripple your kids emotionally and relationally. We need to teach our kids to see the value in other people, and to place the needs of others ahead of our own.

Help Your Kids Learn To Persevere – Life can be difficult. It can throw some pretty tough situations our way. Our kids have no idea how to hang on through these tough times unless we teach them, and show them.

Help Your Kids Pursue Excellence – Your kids need to learn that they need to do their best, no matter what they are doing. From household chores, to homework, to sports, to everyday life, when we teach our kids to give their best, they will pursue excellence for their entire lives. Perfection, however, is not the same thing.

Helping our kids reach their potential is one of our primary roles as fathers. It’s not an easy task, but it is a crucial one. Our kids need to know that we are in their corner, encouraging them to be the best that they can be. But in order to do that effectively, we need to strive to be the best that we can be ourselves. It won’t be easy, but it will be so worth it!

Be deliberate, Dad!

What are some ways that you can help your kids reach their potential? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.