The Long Awaited Presidential Fatherhood Blog

Whether a kid can recognize or not...or be willing to admit it or not, he wants the approval of his Father. I have learned that kids need to hear 3 things. I love you. I'm proud of you. And...You're good at (fill in the blank). It's important to know your father believes these three things about you.

There have obviously been study after study shown about the importance of a father in the life of his son and absentee fathers are to blame for a lot of the problems in our nations and prisons. However, it's important to note that many fathers are present in their children's lives and it doesn't make a difference in their son's behavior..or a father is absent and the son goes on to live a fruitful and productive life of greatness.

Newsweek magazing has dwelt on an important observation recently regarding Barack Obama and John McCain. All presidents for that matter. The magazing has observed that most presidents had either an absent father or a high achieving powerful father figure. And in Barack's case... a little of both.

The issue isn't really pertinent to the current presidential debate, but does make me wonder why it is that presidents seem to be spawned from either absent fathers of powerful fathers. The obvious observation is that those with absent fathers are trying desparately to prove their value and worth apart from that upbringing. Almost as if to say "see I can do it on my own I didn't need you anyway" in order to mask the pain of the absence. And those with a powerful father figure seem to be trying desparately to live up to those expectations...either real or imagined.

The core issue though...is what are you as a father (or mother, cousin, uncle, mentor, friend) doing to make sure someone can look up to you and use your example as a launching pad into greatness. It also highlights the importance you have to those that look to you.

Jacob and Esau were desparately fighting for approval from their father. They both wanted the blessing of their father (there were monetary ramifications of this, but at the core, they wanted the approval of their father). They also wanted to please their father. Esau, in Genesis 28, found that his parents would be displeased if his brother married a Caananite. Esau then went, and in addition to his other wives, married a grandaughter of Abraham in order to garner their pleasure. Even as an adult, he was willing to go to great lengths to receive approval from his father.

Are you living a life worthy of having someone seek your approval? Are you allowing those over whom you have influence to be able to reflect off of you and become greatness? I urge you to understand the impact you have. Be a present AND powerful influence in the lives of your children. Live in a way that they can become presidential. That they can be "impacters" in the Kingdom of God as they live as ambassadors in this worldly kingdom. They can be great....but a lot of it depends on your life.