Last week, The Star-Ledger reported that a father from
New Jersey took his 5-year-old son to a park to feed the ducks. As
they approached the parking lot, the son, who had just learned to
unbuckle himself, jumped from the car and ran straight toward a
35-foot cliff. When the father realized his son was racing to the
edge and wasn't going to stop, he leapt from the car, snagged his
speeding son, and saved his life. The car, which was still moving,
took the 35-foot dive instead.
A nearby police officer came rushing to the scene, only to give
the dad two tickets: one for forgetting to put on his
emergency brake, and another for not being able to provide proof of
insurance (his information was still in the car, which was now at
the bottom of the cliff).
To the police officer, it might have not have been a big deal
that the dad protected his son. The officer even said that if the
dad hadn't saved his son's life, the dad would have gone to jail
for child endangerment. What mattered to the police officer was
that he to do his job, which was to give tickets.
Now, say what you want to about the police officer, but how many
times do we simply expect fathers to do the right thing without
showing them gratitude? Do we sometimes take for granted the men
God has placed in our kids' lives? With Father's Day quickly
approaching, here are some quick and easy ideas to let these
special dads know how much they are appreciated.
*****
- Create an award. Have kids make certificate of
appreciation proclaiming some specific things they are good at. Let
the kids decorate it, personalize it, and give it to their dad,
grandfathers, or special male figures in their life.
- Decorate for Dad. Have a bulletin board?
Decorate it for Father's Day. Here's a great bulletin board idea
in honor of Dad.
- Encourage sharing (of feelings).
Sometimes all it takes to make the perfect Father's Day is a kid
letting their dad know just how they feel. Encourage your kids to
voice how awesome they really think their dad is. Consider
recording them sharing special memories or fun times and then
playing back the responses during the Father's Day service.
*****
The fines that went along with the New Jersey dad's tickets
totaled $110, and I can only guess at the cost of recovering and
replacing the car. But, something tells me that the dad would have
saved his son's life no matter what the cost.
This Father's Day, let's not only remember the men in our lives
who sacrificed for us, but let's also celebrate God who gave the
ultimate sacrifice.
