Hey Dad,

You know one of the great things about being a dad is that people expect you to repeat yourself. I know my dad told the same jokes, recounted the same old stories, and repeated bits of fatherly wisdom whenever the mood struck him.

I used to make fun of the fact that he repeated himself so often—until I became a dad. Now I do it! And now I know why. It's because those jokes, stories, and bits of fatherly advice bear repeating.

Such is the case with this week's Familyman Weekly. I wrote something similar a couple of years ago, but as I was sitting on the beach in Edisto, South Carolina, yesterday, I thought of its truth again.

The ocean is just so big, powerful, and unforgiving. Let down your guard for a moment, and you can get sucked out to sea or swallowed by Jaws. I've always been a little frightened by its power, and now that I have children—it scares me to death.

It doesn't help when they post signs along the walkway to the beach describing dangerous rip tides that can occur and then warn that there's no lifeguard on duty.

My children splashed in the waves without a care in the world. I, on the other hand, sat in my lawn chair like a coiled spring, scanning the waves, counting the children, and looking out for any potential harm.

Who cares that there are no lifeguards on duty? I thought. This is one dad who's always on duty.

That's when I was reminded again of the similarities between dads and lifeguards. Like lifeguards, our job is to keep an eye out for potential disasters, children who may be about to go under, dangerous rip tides, and vicious sharks who could easily gobble up an unsuspecting child.

The world in which we live is dangerous, and we dads must always be on duty. We must be on the watch for rip tides that can suck our children away—rip tides disguised as bad attitudes, friends, video games, TV programs, magazines, textbooks, and other outside influences.

We don't have the luxury of sitting back and enjoying the view. We must be involved—scanning, anticipating, and praying.

Let our children play and grow up in the safety of knowing that DAD IS ON DUTY!

So even if you've let your guard down, get back in the chair, and stand guard.

You 'da dad and you're on duty!!

© 2007 Todd Wilson. Used by permission.

[05/18/2007]

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