Some Thoughts on Being a Dad

Post written by Raymund Tamayo

It was 7 years and 8 months ago when I first became a dad, and I must admit nothing has prepared me for it.

Yes, I’ve heard much great, godly, and noteworthy advice from my parents and mentors, and have put them to mind and heart, yet the moment you realize that you are now responsible for a little person newly-born into this world you can’t help but at least be nervous.

To be clear, I love being a dad. Even though there are countless times they push my patience to the limit, and there were a lot of instances when they were sick or had urgent needs that “worry” seemed to become my middle name, I welcome the challenges, the adventures, and the experiences of being a daddy.

If you will notice, I seldom write about my kids, more so about fatherhood in general. This is because I’ve always felt lacking in this department. I try everything to be the best dad that I possibly can in terms of providing, protecting, and nurturing, but still I feel that I could give more.

One thing I know for certain after all these years is that it takes a lot of commitment to be a dad. Truly, I never understood my own father until I became one. All the sacrifices I had to make just for sake of the little ones don’t seem like sacrifices at all. And I remember my dad, how he must have suffered being away from his children working abroad for more than 20 years just to provide for us. I could never have done that, I’m not that strong.

But all the work and effort are worth it once you see your two-year old boy mimic your own Iron Man repulsor blast move and ask you to join him. Also, try listening to your seven-year old daughter singing “Let it go” even when she hasn’t seen Frozen yet. My heart melts every time. My kids never cease to amaze me.

I do realize that I wasn’t the first one to experience all these ups and downs. Many more before me had, and many more after me will, and for that I’m very happy. Happy that I get the chance to share these hardships, struggles, victories, and accomplishments with all the dads of the world. I can’t think of a better God-given calling than fathering. Mothering, maybe.

With that, I acknowledge that I have more to learn when it comes to this noble position of authority, especially in disciplining my kids and molding them to become the person that God made them to be.

However, what I do know and hold on to is as long as I follow the principles of God’s Word not only on parenting, but also about being a spiritual man who always seeks to be in tune with the character of Christ, everything will turn out just fine.