Today is Father’s Day, and of course we want to make sure that all the dads out there get a special nod on this special day. So, in honor of dad’s today, we are celebrating your creativity! Because creative dads are fun.
As I was sitting across from my own daughter this week, I began to think about her crazy imagination. How does she come up with some of the silly stuff that comes out of her mouth? Then it hit me. She learned some of it from me and that made me think about how I HAD to be creative as a dad.
It was in that moment I had the epiphany that I am not the only one. You have to be creative as well. Sometimes our creativity springs from our desire to have fun. Sometimes our creativity flows out of our desire to engage our child’s imagination, and to be really honest, sometimes our creativity results from our need to just keep them occupied for a few minutes.
No matter the reason, creativity makes us awesome in the eyes of our kiddos. They love it. They long for it. They will wear you out wanting more of it. And for all of those creative moments, you deserve to be celebrated today. Things like:
Creative Dads Build Forts
You know how to take every piece of furniture, blanket, and pillow in the house and create a structure King Arthur would be proud to call home. Flashlights and lanterns take over at nightfall, and stories of chivalry lighten the eyes of the kids. Even if you can’t stand up inside your creation, you sit on the throne of this creative masterpiece.
Creative Dads Drive Time Machines
You can take any old car and turn it into the most sophisticated time travel device known to man. Ok, well, there aren’t any time travel devices known to man, but you get my point. Where to on this trip? That’s the best part. Dinosaurs today, flying cars tomorrow. Your kids love the fact that you can go anywhere you want in the car of tomorrow, or 100 million years ago.
Creative Dads Make Up Silly Songs
I like to think that I am one of the world’s best at making up songs that make no sense. It is a gift really. But, you are teaching your kids to enjoy making the music their own. Whether it’s changing the words to a familiar Disney tune or playing a guitar on the couch, you become the Bob Dylan of delightfully silly songs. That is something that makes you infinitely cooler than anything the radio has to offer.
Creative Dads See Rabbits in Clouds
You know those moments when you are left sitting in the car after you drop someone off at the store. You know…the ones where “just a few minutes” can feel like 3 hours. You are awesome because you can make those few minutes into an adventure of imagination. Just a glance up a the clouds becomes a race to find the coolest shape. Can you find a rabbit? What about Abe Lincoln? Of course you can, and you are teaching your kid to enjoy adding creativity to the world around them.
Creative Dads Become Horses
I can turn a jump rope, something that slides across a hard surface, and a kid into Ben Hur. And you’re the fun dad because you can become a chariot horse in less than 4 seconds. And let’s be honest, what kid doesn’t like being drug around a house by a jump rope? Creative dads make sliding in circles more fun than a NASCAR wreck. It is what takes us from Dad to Super Dad.
So, thank you Dad. Thank you for making the world more fun for your kids. Thank you for giving them a vision for creativity. Thank you for being you, today and everyday.
What creative things did your dad do that made him awesome?
asmithblog says
I love this post, Nate. It definitely sparked creativity and imagination. Made me think of childhood. My dad taught me how to work hard even if I didn’t feel like it, how to play baseball and how to build model cars. All of those things takes some level of creativity.
Nate Turner says
Sounds like a fun childhood! My dad taught me how to work, play, and enjoy his kids. Thankful I got to spend some time with him this afternoon!