Tag: me and my dad camp

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BUILDING HISTORY WITH YOUR KIDS

Every summer, one of the things I look forward to is our annual Me and My Dad Camp.

While it’s only an overnight trip, it can be one of the best moments a father can have with his son/daughter and vice versa.

While it takes a lot of effort to set up the tent, cook your own food, travel to the camping place, what that does is that you build history together as father and son.

Looks more like a science experiment than dinner…

There are things that you cannot accomplish if you are at home, especially with the distractions of iPads and TV.

Building history together includes stories at night before going to bed, cooking your meal even if they’re burnt, sweating and jumping in the pool to cool off, getting a splinter and helping your son take it out… These and many more that will add to having history together.

I remember Steve Murrell (founding pastor of Victory) telling us a story of a very successful pastor who has a congregation of thousands. This particular pastor’s son approached his dad during one of the church activities designed for families and disclosed that he couldn’t remember a time that he had fun with his dad.

Now that’s a bomb no father would ever want to hear from his son.

Dads, build history with your children. Find the opportunity to build memories. Remember, it’s something that can never be taken from them. Cars will rust. Medals can get lost. Money can get stolen. But memories? That stays for a very very very long time.

No amount of success in the workplace can compensate for failure at home.

Reminder from my wife on day 2.
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PARENTING LESSONS FROM A SINGLE GUY

Me and My Dad camp was a blast.  It was one of the best Me and My Dad camps, if not the best that I’ve ever attended.  Kudos to Pastor Mark Tusoy and Glenn Quizon.

Pastor Joey and David Bonifacio did a Father and Son talk tandem.  It was nothing short of phenomenal.  You know when a person is teaching (from notes) and when he is simply speaking… speaking from experience and from the heart.

Quick run down on what I learned from David, a sharp, quick witted 26 year old single guy.

1. A father apologizing to his child is perfectly alright.  It doesn’t diminish respect.  In fact, it does exactly the opposite.

2. “The greatest inheritance I got was that I was ‘fathered.'”

3. A father is a definer.  If a dad doesn’t define his children, the world will.

4. Discipline molds and sets boundaries.  A dad has to define the boundaries.  In return, a child learns to respect it growing up.

5. On discipline and the rod, pain communicates the consequence.  Comfort communicates love.

6. What is not seen in the flesh is redeemed in the spirit.

7. A child becomes weak when there is too much comfort and is not allowed to experience hardship.

8. The best form of security a child can receive is to see his father being fully devoted to his mother.  “Faithfulness is not not cheating.  It is complete devotion.”

9. The best thing my father taught me is that no matter what, RUN TO GOD.  When things are going great, RUN TO GOD.  When things mess up, RUN TO GOD.  When it’s happy times, RUN TO GOD.  When it’s disappointment times, RUN TO GOD…. RUN TO GOD!