At the end of this blog are instructions on how to enter a drawing for a free PROJECT DAD book.
Project Dad
by Todd Cartmell
If you want to raise great kids, the first step is to become a great dad!
A Complete Do-it-Yourself Guide for Becoming a Great Father
There is a do-it-yourselfer in every man. He looks for a project to do on weekends, but what about the project of becoming a better dad? Project Dad (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1999-9, April 2011, $12.99) is a humorous, enjoyable, biblically-based guidebook written for dads by a dad. Author, Todd Cartmell, Psy.D., takes readers on a fun and compelling journey of re-building a dad to become a great dad if you want to raise great kids.
Project Dad speaks the language of dads: short entertaining chapters, tongue-in-cheek humor, references to BBQ and a complete look at what it takes to be a great dad. The chapters are broken into five key components:
- How to look at your children
- How to talk to your children
- How to connect with your children
- How to act toward your children
- How to lead your children
At the end of each chapter, there are discussion questions making this book ideal for individual or group study.
This guidebook encourages fathers to raise their children with a renewed sense of purpose and gives them the tools they need to become the dad their children are longing for.
About the Author: Todd Cartmell is a licensed clinical psychologist and a father of two. He is in full-time private practice inWheaton,Illinois, where he works with children, adolescents, and families. He lives inGeneva, Illinois, with his family.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.
Why My Husband Was A Good Dad:
My husband was a great dad to our children. We have a grown son who now has a family of his own with two sons and a daughter who is about to get married. My children have grown up to become responsible adults who love the Lord. My son has two sons of his own and is also a terrific father. Much of the reason my children are who they are is because of their dad. Here’s some of the things he’s done while they were growing up.
He spent time with them. My son and his dad would go to airplane shows, for walks in the park, and to look at race cars together. These were interests my son had, and my husband would take the time to encourage those interests. My daughter and her father would go on dates together. He would do what she wanted to do. That usually meant going out to eat, then going to a romance movie or shopping. My husband doesn’t like either romance movies or shopping, but he loved doing these things with his daughter.
He taught them things. My son knows basic carpentry, home maintenance, and how to do minor car repairs because his father taught him whenever he was doing something around the house. It would have been easier for my husband to fix a car or patch a wall without explaining every step to my son and allowing him to do some of it, but he understood that a good father teaches his children. He also taught my daughter many things like how a man should treat her on a date.
He prayed with them. Whenever my children had any concerns growing up, my husband would have the same response. “Let’s pray about this.” My children learned that whenever they have a problem, the first response is prayer. To this day, when they have a problem, they will call their dad and hear him say, “Let’s pray.”
He was a godly example. My husband didn’t get saved until we had been married sixteen years. But even before that, he was a man of integrity. He was always where he said he would be, and I never had to worry about him being unfaithful. After he was saved, he stepped it up a notch by being a godly example in everything he did. He didn’t act one way at church and another way at home. Our children saw what it means to be a Christian by watching my husband.
He’s a wonderful husband. My husband loves me and shows me respect. He listens to me and supports me. And he’s faithful to me. This is one of the best things a dad can do for his children. He showed my son how to be a good husband, and he showed my daughter what a good husband looks like.
He was a strict disciplinarian. My husband showed his children love, but he also expected certain types of behavior from them. When they failed to meet the mark, there would be consequences. This also showed his love for them because it taught them that morality is the best way and that there are consequences in life.
He taught them life isn’t fair. When my children were growing up, sometimes they would complain that some decision my husband made wasn’t fair or something that happened with their teachers or friends wasn’t fair. Sometimes they were wrong. Sometimes it was fair. But sometimes they were right. Sometimes things happened that weren’t fair. My husband’s favorite saying during those times was “Life’s not fair.” And life is not fair. Dad’s help their children most when they teach them this principle. Children need to learn to deal with the unfairness of life without becoming bitter or pessimistic. My husband taught my children that life’s not fair, but that doesn’t give them the excuse to be unfair or unkind or to rebel against authority.
Share something that made your husband or dad a good dad in the comments by Monday, May 30th for a chance to win this featured book, PROJECT DAD.
20,00 Days and Counting
