Face it, being a father can be a real tricky job. All you want to be is a great dad to your little one but chances are your dad never sat down with you and provided with you with guidelines. But of course, you don’t want TO BE your father! Sure it would be great to get some good traits from your old man, but you want to do it in your own way.

Generally, children spend more time with their mothers from the time they are born right up until forever, so nobody really pays attention to the dads. Well, sometimes children are more attached to their dads, but on very rare occasions. There is no big movement toward how to be a great father as there is toward being a great mother.

However, no matter who you are, you can always learn to improve your relationship with your children and spouse, and you can redefine the meaning of fatherhood each and every day. No point rushing into it and turning into dad of the year overnight; all you have to do is learn at your own pace, take one step at a time and you would be an excellent dad in no time.

We have come up with a list of 15 simple ways to be a great father that you can refer to every time you feel the need to up your game. Let’s get on to it;

Be present with your kids

From the time your child is born, make sure you spend a lot of time with him or her. Babies tend to get attached to certain people only, mainly the ones they see often. So, the last thing you want is to be a stranger to your baby. It is understandable that you are probably working, but set your priorities straight and reserve some time for your little one.

Praise your kids often

When they do something that is impressive, praise them for their success be it, your toddler recognizing colours, taking their first step or drawing a shape. Throwing praises like ‘oh, you’re such a strong boy’ or ‘you’re daddy’s clever girl’ would help them be more comfortable with you and would make them really happy.

Focus on the positive when speaking to them

For instance, you tried teaching them something and they got some of it wrong and some of it right. Try not to pinpoint on all the negative stuff right away. Of course, teach them what they got wrong but be sure to do it in a polite way and emphasize on the ones they got right.

Listen to your children with all of your attention

When your children learn to talk and if they are attending pre-school, they are going to have a lot of stories to tell you about their day as soon as you come home from work. Yes, by the time you get home you would be exhausted, but pay attention to what your little one is telling you and their expression because honestly, children are probably the best story tellers around.

Hold your children accountable to their actions and words, but don’t beat them

To be honest, many parents these days happen to be very short tempered. So, when their children are being fussy or have done something wrong, they smack them across the arm, face or butt because that is their definition of ‘discipline’. But they are wrong! Beating your child can result in emotional and physical damage, be it slight hits on their bottom. If you want to discipline your child without being the ‘monster parent’ just take away something they really enjoy, like watching television or going to the playground for an hour tops. This way, they learn from their mistakes and will not repeat it again and no one gets physically hurt.

Leave your work issues at the office

Most of us come back all grumpy, hungry and tired probably because we had a bad day at work; a business was not approved, your secretary did not do her job or something of that sort. Then you get home and see a happy, smiley face greeting you and waiting to tell you all about their day. As tempting as it is to shoo everyone away and have some peace, you must forget about what happened at work and spend time with your child. Try not to take it out on the innocent child for no reason at all.

Make a meal for your family

Yes, sure some of you may depend on your wife or maid to do all the cooking and cleaning, but for once why not spend some time in the kitchen and cook up a nice meal for your family. Be it sandwiches, a salad or fried chicken, sure your children would be more than happy because that would make them feel important and loved.

Remember that kids mirror our actions

This is probably one of the most important things to keep in mind when you have a child or even are in the presence of a child because kids tend to follow what they see and hear. So, if you are going to get home from work all tired and grumpy, cursing and swearing about your boss or anyone at work that pissed you off, you are going to set a really bad example to your little one. The last thing you want is for them to pick up on all the foul words you have been using around them.

Remember that everyone is somebody’s child

If someone at the playground were to be mean to your child, the right thing to do would be to politely tell the other child that doing something like that is not nice or to let their parents know. If you yell at someone else’s child, it is going to set a bad reputation on you because it shows that you don’t really respect people be it a little child.

Be generous with hugs and kisses

Everyone loves getting tight hugs and long, wet kisses from the people they love. Children love it more! Just yank them in your arms and give them tight hugs and kisses. It would make them feel so loved and the feeling is just priceless.

Send and pick your children up from pre-school once in a while

Instead of always depending on your wife to send them and pick them up, try taking up the challenge for a change. They might enjoy the change too. One the way to school or back from school, have a short chat with them and ask them how their day went or what they would like to do next.

Explore every park in your town

Take them to different park every weekend; try not to stick to the same one near your house. It would be great to have a change in scenery once in a while. It gives them the chance to make new friends, and you would never know, you might end up making new friends too. Plus, what could be better than exploring new places with someone you love?

Tell your children about your family history

If your children are old enough to understand, tell them a little bit about your family history like where your parents are from, where you have lived and so on. If they’re still too young, just dig up for old photographs and show them to your child while explaining who is who. It’s a good way to give them a better understanding on their own family history.

Follow through your promises to them

If you promised to take them to the park, to the zoo, to watch a new movie or to buy them something; make sure you follow through with your promise. A good father never breaks his promise. Breaking promises sort of crushes a child’s hope and the last thing you want it to see your child upset. Seeing them upset would result in you being upset. To be safe, be sure to only promise them things you know you can fulfill.

Buy them gifts for no reason

Buy them gifts once in a while on the way home from work and give it to them as a surprise. However, don’t make it a habit. Giving them little surprises would make them so happy. Don’t look at this as forms of bribery though, do it whole-heartedly and we guarantee your child would be over the moon. It doesn’t always have to be a fancy gift, just something as simple as a whistle or a ball would do.

Most of you probably think you are crappy fathers and there is no way to change, but thinking that way is not right. Follow these simple steps given above and you can work towards being a better father. All children really need is your time and love. Give them these two things, and they will give you ten times more of the love you give!