Being a Better Dad

I can't imagine a pain any worse than losing a child.

Just before Christmas, our friends lost their eldest adult daughter in a car accident in Minneapolis. Only days before the accident, our friends had driven down to have dinner with her. Our friends are good people, hard working, loving, caring -- the sort of people you would want as a friend or a parent. I went to their house to listen to the father (in these situations, I find that I almost never have any thing to "say" to the grieving parent, but that I'm a good listener). He told me that he could take solace in knowing that his daughter was happy right up to the end, and that he was blessed to be able to know her and protect her for her entire life. His strength and faith fill me with wonder and admiration.

Less close to home, I felt sadness and pain to learn of the suicide death of Coach Tony Dungy's son. Tony Dungy is another man that I admire and am inspired by for his consistently unselfish actions. On television, he expressed joy in knowning that his son had accepted Christ and was now safe in God's eternal embrace.

The experiences of these two families at such a joyous time of the year motivated me to try and become a better a father. I remembered that Tony Dungy was a spokesman for AllProDad.com. I visited their website and signed up for their free newsletter. AllProDad is a great site with wonderful free resources available for improving fathers, such as 10 ways to be a better dad.

If you're a father, I encourage you to check out AllProDad.com. It's a wonderful way to honor your own father, Tony Dungy, and ultimately your family will thank you for it.