I love stubble burn…
Those rash-like blotchy marks are a sign of something significant.
It tells a story that words can easily miss.
It communicates love and affection…and a little machismo to boot.
Yes, stubble burn is a glorious thing!
In fact, I’d have to admit that I’m actually kind of notorious for stubble burn.
For those that know me well, they’d say that it plays a pretty big part of my life.
Awkward Yet?
Okay, for those of you feeling a little uncomfortable right now, I’m not talking about the stubble burn you receive.
I’m talking about the burns that you freely give out…to your kids.
In my house they are most evident after a brutal tickle session. Traditionally, my girls leave these sessions looking like were mauled by a bear.
My all-time favorite, “go to move” is the neck/chin attack. And the more stubble the better.
For some reason, the placement of the attack and the presence of facial hair send my girls in to a state of hysteria.
We’re talking full-on uncontrollable laughter, which I suspect has ended with pee’d pants more than once.
A Deeper Meaning
Obviously there is something much deeper here than mere stubble burn. I mean, who would write an entire post about that? Well, maybe I would…but another time perhaps.
Actually, the underlying purpose was born out of a very serious discussion. One that challenged me to contemplate the relationships that I pursued and the attention I paid to my own family.
With our relationship with God being the context, we were to evaluate our activity at home and determine its effectiveness.
You see, as dads we can involve ourselves in all kinds of “good” things. We can volunteer, give financially, coach a sports team, or even begin a community ministry.
All of these things are worthy causes and all have the potential to accomplish something worthwhile. But what about the fertile soil at home?
You see, few of us are going to have the same kind of influence on society than we have on our kids.
No matter how influential your position at work, or how much power you wield in the community, your kids will always show the greatest promise.
In short, they will always be the most worthy of your stubble burn.
You May Change the World
On several occasions I have heard the adage that if you want to change the world, start by changing your home.
The idea being that when our families are changed for the better, our community, city, state, and so on, are changed for the better.
With just a little extrapolation, we are literally changing the world by raising kids that make a difference.
But it takes intentional parenting…each and every day.
This means that:
- Trips to McDonald’s can be a prime opportunity to teach your kids about being courteous. It’s as easy as holding doors open for others.
- You can teach them service by involving them in your ministry at church or when you volunteer in the community.
- You can point out the good and the bad when watching their favorite movie with them.
- You read to them and are creative with them.
- You discipline them when they’re behavior warrants it and then praise them when their behavior needs to be reinforced.
- You cheer them on in their pursuits and console them in their failures.
- You respect their thoughts and ideas as being valid and worthwhile…even when you may have to reveal the error in them.
- You teach them their worth and the worth of others.
Put Away the Razor
So dads, park the razor and let a couple days’ worth of growth take its place.
Then, with the instincts of a grizzly, ruthlessly stalk and attack your kids.
I would suggest going for the neck first.
