Can I just tell you how happy I was when I saw Greg Trimble’s new book Dads Who Stay and Fight on my living room table? I love that my hubby puts his heart into being a great dad. And with all the things on his plate I really appreciate him taking time to read and ponder about his role as a father. And let’s face it- we need strong fathers. How many father’s aren’t in the picture or not really present when they are. I love how Greg talks about the need for books that encourages men to be great fathers. Sure, he was already reading about becoming a better businessman. There are plenty of books about that. But what about the most important role men take on? What if we can support and encourage men in this responsibility that will lead to the most important kind of happiness. He wrote this book to help dads become their families hero.
And if you aren’t familiar with Greg Trimble you can check out his Facebook page here. I love reading his posts and articles. So I was super excited to learn about this book. Now Greg happens to be Mormon, which also happens to be my faith. But this isn’t a book just for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This book would help any dad ignite his desire to be a better father. Although there are quite a few BYU references.
I’m loving that my hubby is reading this book! He’s a wonderful father who is great at playing Legoes with our kids or taking our daughter out on dates. He especially loves when she requests Star Wars books during reading time. But I get that it’s hard to be a dad. The pressure to provide for your family and wanting to spend time with your family. Plus I usually have some chores or such that I need help with on the weeknights or weekends. Balancing your career and fatherhood can be tricky. But as important as it is to provide for your family temporally, it’s even more important to be there for them emotionally and spiritually.
My heart swelled with joy when my son in preschool shared that when he grew up he wanted to be a dad. If we can teach our sons how sacred and important fatherhood really is just imagine the difference it could make in the world. Boys growing up, becoming men, with their focus on their families. The media is filled with ‘goof ball’ dads or dads that always make mistakes or are the butt of the joke. Wouldn’t it be great to see portrayals of strong and supportive fathers. Masculine yet tender, and constant in their love for their family.
I love the breakdown of this book. Greg shares what dads do and what qualities they should have. He talks about the role as a husband and fathering sons and daughters. He shares Dad Rules and insights that make one think about what kind of father (or mother) they want to be. One section I really like talks about the “golden years” in fatherhood. Our kids are only young once. And just the other day my 3 year old daughter was asking all kinds of questions about Mary Poppins and what the dad was singing about. She couldn’t grasp the concept that maybe this dad wasn’t living in the moment as we were listening to ‘A Man has Dreams’ while driving around this week. Bert talks to Mr. Banks and points out what really matters to him.
“You’ve got to grind, grind, grind
At that grindstone
Though child’ood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they’ve up and grown
And then they’ve flown
And it’s too late for you to give?
I wish I could go back and tell my hubby, along with myself, to spend more time together (Not that we didn’t spend time, but I would do things differently) . My hubby really loves technology. And I really wish I could have had screen free times for our family. Yes, he needs to respond to emails. But maybe those could have waited. I try real hard to limit my screen time when I’m around my kids. I have it out to figure out insulin or snap a pictures, but then I put it away. Being present with our family is one of the best ways to show our love. And I love that I can work from home and though it sometimes requires me to be on my phone and respond to clients I’m striving to have time where my kids are my focus.
Seriously love this book. And if you are reading my blog, chances are you feel strongly about strengthening families too. And do you know what else is exciting? I recently attended #bonconf (which was exciting and fun in itself) but I was able to get a copy of Greg’s book! So my hubby and I thought, maybe we can give a copy (or three) to our readers because we already love the copy we have! Isn’t that exciting? And it would make a perfect gift for Father’s Day. You could give it to a new dad or your own dad or hubby. And not in a “here, you need to work on somethings” kind of way. But in a “I heard this book supports and encourages great fathers like you” kind of way. You could even read parts together and share what you love about your dad or husband.
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