By Parents magazine:
DON'T let your kids pick up your bad habits. Do you swear? Do you polish off Pringles by the can or drink 3 beers every night? That's fine. We all have our vices. But try your best to hide these habits from your kids. They look up to you and identify with you, and if they hear you use profanity or see you bingeing on junk food or drinking like it's New Year's Eve, they'll think it's OK. So set a good example - at least when they're watching.
DO give lots of horsy, piggyback, and shoulder rides. What do you want, a pie chart? It's simple: Kids love'em and you do them better than anyone else. Enough said.
DO kiss your wife goodbye in the morning and hello when you get home. It behooves you to find an extra .03 seconds in your busy schedule to perform this gesture twice a day. A quick smooch on the lips doesn't just reinforce the matrimonial bond. When your kids see Mommy and Daddy share this brief but tender moment, they learn how a husband should treat his wife. To you, it's a small gesture. To them, it's a major security boost. Bottom line: Get on the bus - and never step off.
DON'T give your kids wierd names. Celebrities can get away with oddball kids' names like Apple and Shiloh, but that doesn't mean you should do it too. A name is like your own personal "brand" A boy named Jack will be perceived differently than one named Myron. And I don't care how pretty a girl is. If her name is Bertha, she's going to have problems.
Look, kids will always find ways to tease each other. But why give them fodder to pick on your child? Stick with the classics.
DO get a lock on your bedroom door. Knock, knock. No, this isn't a joke. Just a simple reminder of the sound you will never, ever hear before your kid bursts into your bedroom looking for you.
Hence, a door lock.
I've heard too many stories from dads who were on the middle of a passionate interlude with their wife when - hello - a small child comes in asking for some water or needing to be comforted because she's had a nightmare.
Hence, a door lock.
Now, you don't have to worry so much about toddlers. You can make up some story and they'll believe you. But a 5- or 6-year-old who walks in on the act might end up needing years of therapy to erase that image. And guess who'll be stuck paying the bill?
Hence, a door lock.
DO learn how to belch the alphabet. Your kids will think it's hilarious. But for goodness' sake, don't do it in front of your wife (she won't think it's hilarious.)
DON'T get a minivan. You may be a dad, but you're still a guy. Minivan=mini man.
DO have a family night every week. Sitting in the same room reading the newspaper while the kids watch cartoons doesn't rate as quality time. You need to decide on an activity in advance, whether it's a board game, freeze tag in the backyard, or a kids' movie. Hold it every week, without fail. And throw yourself in to it 110 percent. That's all it takes to turn a simple evening at home with your kids in to a family tradition they'll remember forever.
DO say these things to your kids every day.
1. I'm proud of you.
2. I love you.
It's a short list with and endless payoff.
I just thought this was sort of cute. And, in case any of you were wondering - the minivan is officially referred to as my car. Go figure.
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