Give Thanks for Great Dads

I am thankful for...Great Dads

When I was thinking about what a great dad means to me, some thoughts that came to my mind were: a strong leader, caring, unconditionally loving, protector and provider. I suppose how we define a great father depends largely upon our own experience. I am thankful to have had a father who did the best he knew to do in raising us. He never had a chance to know his own father who had passed away when he was around 2 years old. So he didn't have any real role model to learn from and follow. He did his best and for that I am thankful.

Sigmund Freud said, "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." I believe this to be true. There is something about a Godly father that makes us feel safe and secure. This is what we want and need in a world filled with violence and suffering. A great dad helps us to know that we are loved and protected.

Great dads also love our moms. I really appreciate this quote: "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother," ~ Henry Ward Beecher. In doing so, children feel more secure and safe. A great father knows the importance of having a harmonious, loving relationship with his wife and the mother of his children. Parents getting along and loving each other is one of the healthiest things children can witness and experience. It makes their world and home a stable and happy place. It also models good and healthy relationships to them and prepares them for thier own intimate relationships and parenting.

I believe I learned what a really great father is from my husband. He is an amazing father. He emcompasses everything I mentioned earlier in describing a great and Godly father: strong leader, caring, unconditionally loving, protector and provider as well as a loving husband.

We may not all have a great dad, and many don't. However, we can appreciate the qualities of a Godly father in others. It doesn't have to be our own dad. I am so thankful for men who love their wives, who care for their children, who care deeply and love unconditionally, who are strong in their faith and walk in integrity, who love the Lord and are good leaders and role models, who walk in humility, gratitude, and wisdom. For this I am very thankful.

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland


I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter


It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. ~ Anne Sexton




Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn. NewDayCounseling.org and BeHappy4Life.com


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a marriage family counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & inspiration, and Baby-Poems.com, where you will find beautiful baby poems, quotes & videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy!

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