fatherhood

Give them Grace

By Scott Keith –

This month, my children will be 21, 19, and 16, and I think that they’ve turned out pretty well. Our oldest is a Dean’s list student at the University, a co-worker with me at 1517 the Legacy Project, a husband, and soon to be a father. Our second son is a full-time worker, lives on his own making his way, and soon to be a proud uncle. Our youngest, our daughter, is already taking college courses half-time (and doing quite well), an accomplished babysitter, and while she is very sassy (I don’t know how she came by that trait), she is also kind and sweet.

It occurred to me this morning that, while Joy and I were raising our children, I never once read a book on parenting, Christian or otherwise.

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Scared Shitless

By Caleb Keith –

I vividly remember the comments, advice, and criticism of pretty much everybody I encountered when I was preparing to get married. The most common response to this information was, “How old are you?” or “I hope you know what your getting into.” Many others asserted I was throwing my life and my freedom away while only a few responded joyously or with legitimate loving concern. Questions and comments like the examples above were shallow and general concerns about age and autonomy. Two years later I find myself under the same type of scrutiny as I eagerly await the birth of my daughter.

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Dear Dad…

By Cindy Koch –

Dear Dad,

I can’t even begin to describe how upset I am. I have terribly let you down. Buried in secrets, I thought I was just having a little fun. But now exposed in the light, I am sick with myself. I know that it was wrong. Even while I was flirting with him, something in the pit of my stomach held my heart back, just a little. I knew that you were not OK with this. I knew that you expected more from the boy who would try and hold my heart.

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Father Absence and A Sibling Society

By Scott Keith –

I have recently been in discussions with a new acquaintance and founder of the Dadly Rally, regarding what some have labeled the myth of “Father Absence” in the home. These discussions have been over email, so they have not been as in-depth as I would like. From what I can glean from our brief conversation, his concern is that all of the negative press surrounding the absence of fathers in the home is discouraging to the overall movement, of which I think I am a part, to increase father presence in the home.

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