"You can't always use your Sweet Voice."

in #oc4 years ago

I am very proud of all of my kiddos, but I have been especially proud of my two oldest lately. They have started babysitting and have had the opportunity to work for several families.

This is a huge step in the life of a child. Getting paid for providing a service is a rite of passage as adults-in-training prepare for 'adulting without the training wheels'. I feel humbled and honored that part of my role as a father is to walk alongside them and help during this stage of their lives. I look forward to exciting days ahead as they mature and grow.

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Dad Talk: Men Need to Know How to Talk To Their Daughters


One of my favorite things to do as a Dad is to process life with my kiddos. I ask a ton of questions, not just to gather information from them (which is important), but also to understand how they are feeling about life as well as help them understand parts of life that they may not fully understand yet.

After picking my two oldest up from their babysitting gig, I began asking some basic questions:

  • How was your time?
  • Did you get paid what you expected?
  • How were the kids you babysat?

And then I asked the following:

What have you learned today that you need to apply to future babysitting jobs?

And the response from my second oldest daughter blew me away:

"You can't always use your sweet voice."

What?


What a profound statement! She articulated a concise statement that was filled with lots of meaning.

And as we unpacked what she said, the following themes appeared:

  • People in positions of authority sometimes need to be firm in both their speech and their actions.
    Although my daughters prefer to use their soft and gentle voices (aka sweet voice) with the children they babysit, sometimes they have to be firm. Hitting is not ok. Running away is not ok. Being rowdy is not ok. And if those activities were to take place, my daughters need to feel empowered to state as much with authority. Someday they may need to tell a man to not touch them (with authority) or to defend someone who is being bullied (with authority). Children need to learn how to exercise authority when appropriate and submit to authority. Baby sitters watch babies, not the other way around.
  • Sometimes people have to make tough decisions, even when they know others will not like the decision being made.
    Being in a position of authority requires wise decision making. And being wise is not the same as being liked. There was a little girl who took candy from a candy jar, which in turn caused other children to want to do the same. That had to stop and my girls made the decision to stop the unwanted actions. The kiddos did not like their decision, but it was the best decision considering the circumstances.

Final Thoughts


I hope there are a lot more conversations with my kiddos in the future. I want to hear what they are learning and hear how they want to apply their new knowledge to future dreams, goals, and endeavors.

I am a pretty proud papa. I have a great crew of kiddos and blessed by a strong and loving wife. We've got each others backs, and we want to help each other be the best we can be as we look forward to the future.

  1. What is the best advice you have given to someone else?
  2. Have you ever be amazed by someone's profound statement, especially someone younger than you?

Thanks for stopping by!
@SumatraNate

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