Should a Father be His Son’s Friend?

When he was six, I suggested that the bad guys weren’t really evil; and his heroes, the Ninja Turtles, were being used to suppress a legitimate rebellion. He almost blew a gasket.

My son is now 28. I have tried to be a friend, to believe in him.  I wanted him to become a historian. He took a few courses, was bored silly and became a refugee lawyer instead. He is happy with his decision and so am I.

The baseball player Harmon Killebrew tells this story: “My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.  Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” 

“We’re not raising grass,” dad replied.  “We’re raising boys.”

stevew.jpg(l. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak)

In his book, iWoz, Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the personal computer, describes how he was raised in a traditional 1950’s family. His mother looked after his emotional needs and his father Jerry, an engineer at Lockheed, supported him intellectually. There was no pressure but his father was always there to nurture and teach.

“My dad’s and my relationship was always pretty much about electronics… Dad was always helping me put science projects together…When I was six, he gave me that crystal radio kit I mentioned. It was just a little project where you take a penny, and touch it with some earphones. Sure enough we did that and heard a radio station…It was so darned exciting, I distinctly remember feeling something big had happened, that suddenly I was way ahead–accelerated- above any of the other little kids my age..” (27)

Fathers build men. Fathers change the world.

In the US, one of every three children have no father at home.

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Related: Why are Dads Afraid to Say No to their Kids?

Makow – Feminism Deprives Girls of Father’s Love
——–   “Sensible Son”

First Comment from Marcos – Father of 2 boys

“Fathers, have been given a great gift. No matter what, raise your kid like a prince. I don’t mean with royal comforts and privileges, but with the intention of developing a noble man, in character, spirit and intellect. Think about Aristotle and Alexander.

I like the American idea that anyone can be the President. I would expand on it: your kid can become anything.

I suggest you read “What Is a Man?: 3,000 Years of Wisdom on the Art of Manly Virtue.” In this book you will find thoughts about what a real man should be. Why should our kids be anything less than those great men in history? Why should they instead drool over Beyoncé or Kim Kardashian and spend their days on Facebook? Even if your son is not successful moneywise, he should  end up with a noble heart and a wise mind.

We forget that in a kid, there are all possibilities opened to a human. At the same time, he is just a kid. Be too harsh, and you may raise a cruel perfectionist. Be too soft, and you end up with a confused and lost young man. There is a place for love and a place for instruction: both are needed.

I still dream often of my father, who passed away many years ago. I wondered many times why, and I think I know now. Fathers are more than real persons to us, they are symbols of our need for acceptance, of a longing for God, of instruction, a symbol of our search of a model for how we deal with life. Without fathers, we feel lost. Eventually, God Himself should fill this position.

Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Source Article from http://henrymakow.com/should_a_father_be_his_sons_fr.html

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