Take YOUR time

By Gerry

So you're a dad eh? -And you want to be a good one? - easy -its all about one word - TIME.

Mick and the Stones did a few numbers about it, countless other songs and stories have been written about it. Time is our most precious commodity and comes wrapped in many packages ... and it's the very best gift that you will ever give your child.

Sound like a big deal? Well yes it is - what could be more important than the welfare of your child? When you give your child time you are adding in

- your interest
- your attention
- your thought
- your guidance and ultimately your affirmation.

Hadn't sat down and really thought that one through? Welcome to the crazy world of daily living. We don’t often stop and think about a lot of things. It's not a conscious decision not to ... but we all get caught up in that world of every day routines without enough planned breaks to actually think beyond "whats next?". Or we allow ourselves to get off track and out of focus by poor prioritising.

It can take an awful lot of pointless negative energy beating yourself up about things you might have got wrong/ are doing wrong. Much better and constructive to think "How do I get this right?"

Get it right for YOU - then you can be comfortable and reassured about how you are guiding your child. It's not magical - it's just taking the time to think ... maybe have a chat or read up on something. It's about having the confidence to parent your child positively with love, with fairness, with common sense and most of all with an unclouded consistency.

VW COMBI'S VERSUS BIG FLASH GAS GUZZLERS

SO I THINK GOOD DADS ARE LIKE VW COMBI VANS - They might seem a little outdated to the kids - a throwback to earlier times and events and more than a bit crusty looking. But VW Combies were reliable - went anywhere, any time, were cheap to run and always had room for something else. You could throw heaps of stuff in to them and they always started pretty much first time-every time.

That's us as a dad to our children - at least that's how they like to see us ... may be just a little bit embarrassing and crusty looking but always there. Their mates dads might be like the big V8 flash gas guzzlers - look great - but they need a lot of cleaning and preening to look their best. Out on the motorways where they want to show off they can go like the clappers - real Melbourne cup starters but stick'em on a family outing - like a back country road where there's plenty of dust, cow dung and wandering stock and they are out of their comfort zone and can't open out.

The good old VW combi on the other hand might need a bit more maintainence as it gets older but hell - it takes you camping, fishing, carries your mates around to weekend sports and trips for the day and you can safely spill your drinks or drop your Big Mac on the seat without major fall out.

Most of all they can handle pretty much any roading system - are comfortable on any street and if they get the occasional ding in them it doesn't cause major fallout or cost a fortune to fix. Even the family dog got a comfortable ride. The good old reliable combi caused few problems - it was always there - like a good dad.

-Gerry Browne