Dads and Virtual Learning: Dream, Believe, Dare and Do

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, 26^th President

Dads, when your children come to you with their dreams, their goals, their “when I grow up” moments, what is your response?  Do you encourage them to pursue these passions?  Or, do you help them understand how difficult their dreams might be?

Let me encourage each of you (and me) to keep the following in mind when talking with our children about their passions.

DREAM

Encourage them to dream – and dream big.  Dreams drive us on to greater things in life.  Dreams provide us with hope that sustains us.  So, encourage your children to “reach for the stars.”  Not only that, help them expand their thoughts rather than rein them in. 

Explore their passions with them always looking for ways to dream big.  As dads, let us be the ones who encourage rather than discourage – the world has plenty of those kind of people.

BELIEVE

Dads, if we do not believe in our children, who will?  Believe in their dreams.  Believe in their abilities.  Believe in their perseverance.  Believe in their ability to learn from and overcome failure. 

Don’t shy away from failures.  Encourage them to see failure as a learning tool just as success is a learning tool.

DARE

“Dare mighty things, win glorious triumphs . . .”  What is the alternative?  Is playing it safe really safe?  Why not dare?  Why not risk?  Why not pursue their passions to the fullest? 

If they do not try, if they do not dare, then they will not have the chance to feel the “glorious triumphs” or even the failures that are to come.  Michael Jordan missed more game-winning shots than he made, but he kept on shooting.

DO

Dads, let us help our children do what it is they want to do.  Perhaps their dreams will scare us, but let’s keep that fear to ourselves.  Their course in life will be different than ours. 

Let’s help them chart a course that takes them far away from the “gray twilight” and then let’s set them out on that course to put their dreams into action.

Dads, let us be the ones to help our children strive rather than settle.