From his father,
he learned how to work outside the home—
the soft skills of negotiation,
of the sport of friendly competition,
of working as part of a team,
and of being a leader,
for he followed the great ones.
But most of all,
he learned how to treat women.
From his mother,
he learned how to work inside the home—
the semi-soft skills of elevating cheap ingredients,
of cleaning up after himself for the benefit
of himself and others,
of making things last and making the old
become new again.
But most of all,
he learned how he should be treated.
From his older brother,
he learned what lay ahead
if he did not apply himself,
and so he chose the other way.
From his little sister,
he learned how to be a voice to the voiceless—
a defender of those who could not
defend themselves.
From his grandfather,
he learned that the glory of medals
came through the hell of war—
that many brave men fought not understanding
what it was they were fighting for.
From his grandmother,
he learned the Bible stories that humbled him,
yet gave him strength through faith;
he learned to pay it back as well as pay it forward,
receiving blessings from both ends.
From his aunt and uncle,
he learned that his siblings would,
after their parents lived out their numbered days,
would always be the ones with whom he could share
his childhood memories.
From himself,
he learned through experience,
and lived to tell about it.


What is GetConnectDAD?



Each week, parents from around the world are writing on a specific topic as part of a year’s worth of introspection on some key traits we want to consider for our kids.

Our writers answer the question, “What do you do to teach your kids about Empowerment, Generosity, etc?”

We understand that no one can focus on 52 unique traits; however, we hope that parents are able to think about each of these ‘traits’ as they are introduced and consider what they are doing to introduce components to their kids.