Fathers Fire

This week I share some insights into our journey beginning the process of adopting.  We literally were racing the clock and astonished at the hoops we had to get the process started. As part of the process we had to go through psych evals, credit checks, background checks, and parenting classes.  In one of the classes they had us watch two of the most depressing videos about adoption. On...

I probably need to do an entire series on our journey adopting, like most people is an interesting one. I thought I’d share one of the many steps that laid the groundwork for two children coming into our home - our oldest son Devon's Eagle Project.  This is not only a story of service but one that literally opened my son's understanding of other people and cultures. A couple of lessons from t...

This week I share an experience I had with my dad that cemented in my mind the importance of treating your wife like a queen.  My brother was being extremely rude, demeaning and condescending to my mom when my dad walked in. My dad walked straight up to my brother, put his finger on his chest and said "Don't you ever talk to my sweetheart like that again!  Yes she's your momma ..." Check...

This week we continue our discussion on punishment. I share an experience where I pretended to sleep walk to get out of getting caught by my dad sneaking out of the house.  Come on gents you know you've done it. ;) A few of the highlights from this episode My plan to sneak out to connect with my girlfriend Getting caught when trying to reenter the house. Pretending to sleepwalk to get out of...

Nobody wants to punish their kids. This week we explore some thought on punishment. Do you bring the hammer down, give love or a combination of the two? I thought I'd share some creative ways my dad used discipline his 8 kids. Stand at attention Have sibling hold hands Have siblings hug each other Write sentences - engrain the lesson into their brain Extra chores around the house or special jobs L...

I was a relatively new driver. I was living in a new town with new friends and in a hurry.  And in my hurry I wrecked my dad's truck.  In this episode we explore the lessons learned from this experience with my dad. Lessons learned: Own your mistakes  Don’t beat around the bush - get the point, get to the heart of the matter  Take responsibility  Make restitution  Mos...

Your kids have BIG Dreams!  How do you help them accomplish those dreams? This week we explore our pursuit of buying a mini bike and going to Disney World.  How did we accomplish this as 9 and 10 year old kids? Tune is as we discuss our adventure Selling Krispy Kreme donuts door to door to make a dream come true. So you have a dream How can we make that dream happen? Coming up with a pla...

Let's talk about that 4 letter word... WORK.  We explore the importance of teaching your kids to work.   How early to start having your kids help around the house? What kind of tasks we had our kids do? Turning work into a game to help young kids enjoy helping? Trusting your kids with big jobs. Working side by side with your kids Coaching your kids as you work with them Acknowledging a g...

So you want to be a dad?  Are you literally ready for the adventure of your life time? In this episode I give you a little bit of background of my experience as the oldest of 8 kids and the father of 6. Yep I got 6 kids and excited to share some thoughts, experiences and impressions with you. These experiences will be drawn from my experience as a dad as well as from my experiences as the old...