Awhile back, a friend of mine and I were discussing Father’s Day and I shared with him that each year you celebrate your child’s birthday with food, games and gifts, it is also your Father’s Day because that was the day you became a father to a child that God blessed you with. If you have three children, you have three Father’s Days. If you have eight children, you get the chance to celebrate eight Father’s Days. From that perspective we laughed long, loud and hard and could not stop laughing. We cracked up repeatedly. Then we moved on from Father’s Day to the meaning of the word husband. With the help of a little Googling from our little devices, we learned together the meaning of the word parts “hus” and “band”. The etymology of the first word part “hus” meant “house”. The second word part “band” meant “dweller, owner of the land or householder”. We thought about that for a minute and read how over the years the second part “band” evolved to mean “the band around the house”. We agreed that’s a perfect definition of a husband today, because in this day and time, it’s hard to own some land, but a man can be “a band around his family and household”. What a great 2 in 1 memory for all fathers to reflect on and cherish. Because of the birth of their child(ren) his whole world changes and he grows into becoming a father with several attributes. Perhaps the most celebrated attributes of a father and husband is he is a prepared provider, manager, teacher and leaves behind a legacy of preparedness for his children because it’s the right thing to do for the family he loves and cares for.
Provider
Let’s go back in time after high school. One of the many reasons a young adult male enters into college, military or perfects his craft is so that one day he will be positioned to provide for his family. Having a secure job and a variety of skills to help bring in income should be the first and most important priority of a young adult male or female ages 18 to 30. In a nutshell a provider prepares to provide. He has more than just a car, car insurance and apartment. He has legal financial investments making money for him or her. He pays his bills on time to keep his credit score portfolio in good standing. He has his life insurance and income taxes in place. He is disciplined with money management, seldom overspends unless necessary. He thinks about the consequences of his decisions before stepping into something. He has a few mentors such as his father along with other older men and women with experience and evidence of success. These are the kind of thoughts every young man or woman should have because they’re walking into young adulthood with lots of wild dreams that needs guidance and recommendations to assure minimum headaches. The band around the house loves it when his young adult boy or girl start slow and gradually grow.
Manager
The band around the house, is also a responsible manager of his family protecting his child(ren) from hearing, seeing and experiencing negative nonsense. He exposes his kid(s) to positive uplifting thoughtful experiences and people. He is intuitive in working with his wife. Their relationship grows as a result of their numerous conversations. He learns through their talks and observations of her how to take care of his wife, address her needs and arrange the household in such a way that it leads her to be a better wife and mother. He’s aware that being the band around the house does not mean he’s the dictator and everyone in the household must submit to his demands. That is not the mindset of a good manager or steward. Being the band around the house requires love, thoughtful words, encouragement and continuous learning. From that type of leadership comes the next generation of great parents through his kid(s).
Teacher
In addition to, being a great provider and manager of the family, the band around the house is also a teacher, disciplinarian and counselor explaining how and why we do or do not behave a certain way. He teaches about high MVP character. The MVP stands for morals, values and principles. He is mentally, emotionally and spiritually aware of his strengths and weaknesses but willing to learn how to move towards self-improvement in his areas of weakness. He’s connected with how it feels to rebound from setbacks and failures so much so he can be a source of encouragement to his own child(ren). He’s wise enough to learn ahead of time before his child(ren) become of age how to perform basic maintenance and repairs on the family car. Before a father’s child(ren) graduate and leave the nest, his child(ren) should know how to change the oil, check the radiator and brake fluid levels, change a tire, possibly change the front brake pads and rear brake shoes and how to pull codes when the check engine light comes on by going to the local AutoZone store and asking the store clerk for the FREE diagnostic scan tool to show you how to connect the device to your car and bring it back for the store clerk to print out the codes and recommended repair. He also teaches his child(ren) about house repairs and what a generator is about in the event of a power outage. Such life lessons as these are valuable for child(ren) because it prepares his child(ren) for independent living.
Leaves Behind a Legacy of Preparedness
The more a father passes on such life lessons these, the more he’s passing down an inheritance and legacy. Unfortunately, many fathers think of an inheritance as money or the family business. However other fathers view inheritance as a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to help his child(ren) prevail in life with inner strength. Prepared with mental, emotional balance, financial wisdom and spiritual application, a father’s child(ren) can thrive through the tough stuff in life because of what their father taught them. I call this type of legacy “character substance”. No family business or large amount of money can replace “character substance”. Whereas money helps to secure their financial future hopes and dreams, it can not buy maturity, patience, the ingredients of a healthy companionship, or a high MVP character (morals, values and principles). In short, fatherhood starts with how a young man purposely plants his educational and financial foundation so that he’s prepared to provide for his family long term with job security and benefits. Fatherhood will have its share of ups and downs filled with learning as you start slow go and grow. Starting slow gives a person time to assess and reflect before moving onto the next step. In addition to, when a father adds a mentor along the way, his journey can be a lot easier. Having said that, as we all prepare for the traditional Father’s Day of celebration on Sunday, June 21, 2020 consider giving your dad or mentor a gift from our online store. The content and apparel choices are a great source of encouragement to say, “Thank you dad or mentor” for being that gift in my life you’ve come to understand and respect.
Tell us what you think at iampracticeu@practice-u.com .