Dad, Life is Too Short; Don't Forget to Have Fun With Your Kids

Yes, it is your job to help your child grow up to be a responsible, hard-working, God-fearing person who will be a good citizen, employee, husband and father.

That is a huge responsibility.

But you should always remember that it does not have to happen overnight. It takes years of consistently doing the little things right to develop your child into the kind of person who will make you proud.

I have seen some men who took work and responsibility so seriously that they never had any fun. Their lives were always full of work, discipline, and the accomplishment of tasks.

Things got out of balance. Life is too short to be serious all the time.

A good friend of mine has developed a tradition of having a water balloon battle with his three sons on Memorial Day each year.

The event has absolutely no significance nor symbolism. It is just something they do together to have fun. It is a family tradition.

When I was working at the boys ranch we used to do a lot of Friday night fishing trips. We would go to the river and hang out until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes we did not catch any fish but we just had fun together. A lot of nights we would build campfires and just sit around and talk. They had no impact on work ethic nor accomplishing life tasks but they were enjoyable.

School and chores and all the other things the boys had to think about were stressful. They, and I, needed a break. Many of the boys will tell you they have fond memories of those late-night fishing trips and campfires which were designed for nothing more than having fun.

The art of building relationships has at its core the creation of memories.

If you want to build rapport with your family, you do things to create memories. Those memories will become part of your unique family history and the stories will be told over and over through the years.

Every time these stories are told, it further builds the family bond.

How sad would it be if your children grew up and learned all about work and responsibility but had no fun memories to share?

The interesting thing about having fun together is that it tends to spontaneously create good memories – the kind of memories that turn into great stories. As those stories become a part of your family tradition they build a bond that nothing else can build.

Don’t be so serious that you can not have some fun. It is not healthy and you will regret it.