How to Be A Better Dad
Author and thought leader Mark Merrill, founder of another Family First (www.familyfirst.net), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families be stronger, has written a brand new book about being a good dad and the 7 fundamentals to doing this.
The book is called “All Pro Dad Seven Essentials to be A Hero to Your Kids” (May 1, 2012, Thomas Nelson $16.99 ISBN 978-1-5955-5507-6.) In what he calls a “playbook,” Merrill details what he has found through his own parenting experience having 5 children and interviewing tons of other great leaders and dads.
Some of the 20 leaders and influencers he interviewed include champion head coach Tony Dungy (who wrote the forward), J. Wayne Huizenga, part owner of the Miami Dolphins, FedEx president and COO Michael Ducker, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and the business icon Truett Cathy, the founder and CEO of Chik-fil-a (one of the few companies left that honors Sunday as a day of rest, by the way). The book is also filled with quotes from authors, world leaders and the Bible, to enhance the concepts and each chapter ends with questions to discuss.
The two basic concepts for all of his points are love and leadership. Without both of these as the foundation for fatherhood, a father will most likely fail. Out of these, comes the 7 Ms, he calls them. These make up the bulk of this practical, easy-to-read guide for dads (A great Father’s Day gift, by the way).
- Makeup – understanding who you are and the gifts God gave you
- Mind-set – you are more than the protector and provider, you are the CEO of the family
- Motive – Merrill says you must lead your heart and your children will follow
- Method – you need a method or standard for loving your spouse and children
- Model – model integrity, empathy, humility and courage everywhere
- Message – this is what you say to the world; make sure it’s the right message
- Master – the biggest question in the book – “Who or what are you living for?”
There’s much more detail to all of these which I hope you will check out to learn more and help make your family stronger.
I really loved this quote from page 23, “Hail Mary passes don’t work in fatherhood. Father is all about a dad moving the ball forward in his relationship with his child, one year at a time, day in and day out,” writes Merrill. Amen.
PS – Denver Bronco fans will love the story about Payton Manning on page 22. It’s a story that reminds me a little of the selflessness we love Tim Tebow for (Go Gators) and illustrates the quality guy Manning is.
Marijo Tinlin is the Editor in Chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of a book about patriotism and teaching our children to love this country called “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American.” It features 13 interviews with patriotic Americans including Ed Meese, Erick Erickson and Jackie Gingrich Cushman. It’s available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.