When my kids were younger, they thought there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do and that I never made mistakes. Not because it was true, but because I told them so.
Eventually they realized it wasn’t true and it was all a joke. They learned I did have limitations and I did make mistakes.
Some mistakes we make as dads are easy to let our kids see. But there are other mistakes you and I probably wish they never knew about. But I’ve come to learn that our kids need to see our mistakes, and not just the little ones with little consequences. They should also see the big mistakes with big consequences.
When we let our kids see our mistakes, it shows them mistakes can have good results in the end. It gives them opportunities to learn from our mistakes, which may prevent them from making the same mistakes in the future. If you want to give your kids these opportunities, then here are seven mistakes you should let them see you make:
1. Mistakes in your finances. Maybe you have bounced a check, have paid a bill late or have mismanaged money that prevented you from taking care of a financial obligation or opportunity. Use this opportunity to teach your kids about financial responsibility.
2. Mistakes in your marriage. Your kids may see you and your wife not on the best terms in a disagreement. Don’t let them see you in a heated argument, but don’t hide the fact that you disagree either. Let them see it based on their level of maturity and understanding. And let them see the resolution.
3. Mistakes in your word. Have you ever said you’d do something and didn’t do it? Then had negative consequences? Allow your kids to see that so they know the importance of keeping your word.
4. Mistakes in your work. Have you made a mistake that made you and your company look bad? Or have you been fired from a job? As hard as it may be to tell your wife, letting your kids know why you are home during the day is even tougher. But you should let them see it. It’ll help them see not only the consequences, but also the hard work it takes to recover.
5. Mistakes in your relationship with them. When you make mistakes with your kids when they are young, not too much will be made of it. But when your kids get older, your mistakes will not be glanced over. They’ll be the first to tell you. These are great opportunities to show humility by apologizing.
6. Mistakes in your punctuality. This is our family’s Achilles’ heel. Our kids can learn a lot of what not to do in this area. Maybe you aren’t as bad, but on occasion you do run late. Let them see it so they can appreciate when a person is timely.
7. Mistakes in your health. Perhaps you’ve not taken care of your body like you desire. Let your kids see the mistakes. This just might encourage you to do better with your eating, exercise and even sleep. There would be nothing greater than them seeing you complete a personal makeover to improve your health and quality of living in front of their eyes.
For the original article, visit allprodad.com.
Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
