Key Bible Verse: There you saw how the Lord carried you, as a father carries his son (Deuteronomy 1:31, NIV). Bonus Reading: Psalm 144:12, 15

In God's Playbook, the late Green Bay Packers linebacker Reggie White wrote, "I don't just tell my kids I love them. I show them.

"As a father, it's easy to hug and kiss your daughter. But a survey taken a few years ago said that 60 to 70 percent of fathers don't hug and kiss their sons after the age of six.

"A lot of boys don't want to be kissed in public by their parents, but I tell Jeremy, 'If I kiss you and you scream like a girl, I'll give you a lick.' And I slobber all up and down his face. So Jeremy accepts a public kiss from his dad. It beats the alternative."

Sons need shoulder-to-shoulder affection. Something about physical touch makes us feel better. Boys gain self-esteem from sustained contact, such as wrestling or other physical play, being picked up by their dad, sitting on his lap, or being held. And they need big, old-fashioned bear hugs and other displays of affection as well, on into adulthood.

A father's display of warmth and security will build positive self-esteem in a son. Studies indicate that sons of sensitive, affectionate fathers score higher on intelligence tests and do better at school then sons of colder, authoritarian fathers. They also have fewer gender identity issues.

—Ken Canfield in They Call Me Dad

My Response: Some ways I do or could get physical with my son(s) are …

Thought to Apply: Children of all ages need meaningful touch, particularly (in more playful ways) from a father.—ROBERT SALT (commenting on interviews with children)

Adapted from They Call Me Dad (Howard, 2005) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to empower my children by investing in their physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help