I Don't Predict the Future: I Raise It

When I was in second grade we made a little class yearbook at the end of the school year. We included our favorite TV shows, favorite color, best friends, and what we thought the world would be like in the year 2010.  You see, the little kid voted "Best Talker" of Ms. Bozard's class thought that there would be flying cars, no war and no sickness. This was nearing the end of Desert Storm and at the height of the late 80's crusade against AIDS. That little kid rocking the mullet, color changing space boots, and glasses thought that there would be so many cool things going on that he would explode from awesomeness.

Fast forward to the year in question. That little kid is now me. Bald, sandals, but still with glasses. Some things never change. Come to find out all of these years later that cars still have wheels, wars are still being fought, and people are still suffering and dying from illness. One of two things can now be said in absolute truth: We really need to get on the ball, or, I am no good at predicting the future. I'm going with the latter, how about you?

I don't know what the future holds, and honestly I don't give a lot of thought to it. What I do know is that we as dads can have a direct impact on where the future has the possibility to go. We directly impact the lives of our children on a daily basis. The values we teach them, the examples that we set, and the wealth of knowledge about life we can share all have significant meanings in their lives. People ask me all the time what I think The Kiddos will be like when they get older and are moved out on their own. My answer: I don't know.

I can't predict the future. Obviously my second grade yearbook is proof of that. However, I am helping to steer the direction of the future by raising two children. As a dad, I commit myself to raising my kids to the best of my ability. I promise myself, my children, and God that I will do everything I can to prepare them for the world away from home. I will teach the morals and lessons that may help guide them later on in life.  I can set an example to my son of how a real man acts and treats others. I can show my daughter her true value and self-worth as she enters the years of teenage drama and self-awareness. I don't predict the future, but I do raise it. What are you doing as a dad to raise the future? How are we steering the years to come?