Both parents can and should teach their children all they can, but some important lessons can only be passed from father to son.
1. Be a gentleman
A firm handshake combined with looking the other person in the eye carries with it respect, dignity, and strength. Opening a car door for a woman, standing up at the table when she is seated, and carrying a heavy bag for her displays honor.
2. Honor your father and mother
Honor and esteem your mother and father, not because of their performance, but simply because of their position as your parents.
3. Respect women
Respect a woman physically by honoring her body and accepting that it is reserved for her future husband. Respect her emotionally by understanding that she has a very special way of thinking and feeling that are different from yours.
4. Be a man of integrity
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” C.S. Lewis makes this one really clear. Be a man who speaks the truth and lives by the truth.
5. Take responsibility
Do what you say you’ll do, do it right, and do it with excellence. When you don’t do something the right way, man up and own it. That means apologize immediately without excuses and pursue doing it the right way the next time.
6. Work hard
7. Love others
Loving others is our great and eternal duty. Love is all about giving selflessly and sacrificially to others.
8. Being able to manage money
Working hard at a job will lead you to an income, but what someone does with that income shows what they value in life. Money management is important and it must be something that a Dad teaches their kids. Kids need to know that money doesn’t grow on trees and that they need to think about how they spend and save it.
9. Love God
We were created by God and for God. We are to love him with all of our being—heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is absolutely the most important thing I must teach my sons.
