Superhero Dad.

You won't believe how my view on this changed this week after talking with a friend.

Too many kids think their favorite Marvel superhero is the coolest, strongest, most awesome man in the world.

There was a time when Dads used to carry that role in their kids' eyes.

Dads, do your kids see you as their superhero, or are you letting Hollywood set that standard?

You don’t have to fight off all the bad guys and save the world to take this responsibility back.

That might sound like a lot of pressure.

But here’s the good news.

You’re closer than you think to taking back that superhero role in your kids eyes.

Let me explain what I mean.

I was checking in with a friend that I hadn’t talked to in some time.

I played college football with him over 12 years ago. There’s a lot that can change in that amount of time.

When I reached out to check in with him, here was his response:

“Doing good brotha. Changing a lot of things about myself.”

Here's a quick note about me. If you want to catch my attention, show me you’re taking some steps towards a better version of yourself.

Intrigued, I asked him what he meant.

He sent back a picture of him from April of this year and a picture from August of this year. His transformation was incredible.

He said in the past 6 months he’s gone from 294 lbs down to 233 lbs.

“The way I was living was not it dude. Then working around kids all day and having kids myself I can’t be mobile and be close to 300 lbs at the same time. I can’t help coach sports at that size, I basically can’t do anything and enjoy life. Deff enjoying life a lot more”

That kind of weight loss and transformation story is cool.

But here’s the really cool part.

I replied back with “I bet!! Such a better example for your kids too”

Since having kids, my vision and purpose has continued to move off of myself and onto the next generations.

Here's what he said back that really stuck with me:

“Absolutely. My son tells me “dad go work out be strong like Hulk” Or we’ll be watching PJ mask and he said “you be gecko cause you have super gecko muscles”. And the girls don’t have the fat dad of their friend group.”

Your kids are always watching what you do.

Does it line up with what you say?

I believe most Dads would take back the role of superhero in their kids eyes if they simply followed through on what they said was important.

Telling your kids what to do is one thing. Showing them through your actions is a whole different thing.

You don’t have to be the fittest Dad on the block (although I’d argue our communities would be a lot better off if more men strived for this)

You definitely don’t have to look like Chris Hemsworth in Thor.

But get this.

Your kids want to see you as their superhero. They’re wired to look up to their parents in that way.

Six pack abs and huge arms are not necessary.

Teaching them the value of health, consistency, and taking care of yourself is a great place to start if you want to be a superhero in your kids eyes.

What You Do > What You Say

One of my biggest fears is for my kids to walk down the same path of dysfunction that I never had the courage to fix.

Don’t beat yourself up for what you’ve done. But if you know there is change you need to make, step up and start making some changes.

Your family needs you to be your best.

Be the standard, and the superhero.

Dave