The Champion Father Alphabet of Love
It’s that time of year again when many families break away from their normal weekend excursions to celebrate their hero. This hero is not perfect. He makes mistakes, plenty of them at that. His decisions may be questioned quietly. His wardrobe may lack the latest fashion. Perhaps his cooking abilities encouraged those who are hungry to remain hungry. Although perfection isn’t his goal that he could ever reach, daily he strives to make his today better than his yesterday and his tomorrow better than his today. For these reasons and many others, we take this time to salute the champion father.
Champion Fathers desire nothing less than the best for their children. A good friend of mine once shared with me, “that every second is precious; it’s in our hands as fathers to create wonderful memories for our children”. I could not agree with him more. In addition, I would also add, it is with our mouth that emotional memories are created. When others may use their words to tear down and destroy, the champion father uses his words to bring forth life. He sends forth his words as seeds planted throughout the garden of love located in his child’s heart; knowing that his words would not return void. The champion father understands that the flowers he sees tomorrow are from the seeds his words plants today.
I can recall an incident where I made a huge mistake, an enormous business blunder. It was probably one of the worst business mistakes that I have ever made at that time. It affected my entire being. I lost my appetite. Frankly, I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. I had defeat written all over my face. My oldest daughter Khia knew something was wrong; finally I told her. She looked me in the face saying, “daddy, big mistakes require bigger comebacks!” She didn’t know it at the time, but boy-oh-boy she infused me with the life I needed to face my mistake and become a champion and conquer it. So you see, it is only a matter of time when the champion father will receive what he have planted, either good or not so good.
In just about every culture there is a season or special time set aside for giving. During those times of year, the gifts given are considered to be gifts of the heart. These gifts vary. Some give foods, fragrances, or keepsakes; tangible or intangible. Such as thanks, praise, or “words of love”.
Even though society has set aside special days to give gifts, the champion father celebrates giving all year long. You may say, Kashaun that can become quite expensive. And I say yes, you are 100 percent correct. Yearlong giving can become financially burdensome. However, the gift I am referring to is the gift of “love words”. (The Champion Father Alphabet of Love)
Below is the “The Champion Father Alphabet of Love” a simple tool that fathers throughout the nation are utilizing to help cultivate the esteem and love of their children and family.
A: Awesome
The champion father shares and reminds his children that they are Awesome!
B: Brilliant
The champion father tells his children that you are really smart and bright! Regardless of what others may say about you, know that you are Brilliant!
C: Courageous
The champion father looks his children in the eye and says, Courage is one of the most important qualities of a good person!
D: Different
The champion father says, that Different is good; matter of fact Different is great! You are special and have gifts and talents that the world needs.
E: Excellent
The champion father shares with his child that your job is to find that one thing, your strength, and do it really well.
F: Fabulous
He stops his daughter or son in their tracks, with a smile on his face and says baby-boy/baby-girl you look Fabulous!
G: Great
The champion father reminds his children; don’t be afraid. You were born Great!
H: Huggable
Sometimes a champion father needs a champion Hug from his champion child.
I: Incredible
He reminds them that Incredible people know how to accomplish seemingly impossible goals.
J: Jovial
The champion father teaches his children that life has its ups and downs, ins and outs. But whatever you do, don’t stop laughing.
K: Kind
The champion father shares with his children to always be Kind.
L: Lovable
The champion father reminds his children all the time that his strength to be a father comes from the love that his champion children give.
M: Marvelous
It was the Marvelous sight of watching his children enter into the world that caused his heart to melt and feel emotions that he did not know exist.
N: Nice
He shares, “it’s Nice to be important, but it’s important to be Nice.”
O: Optimistic
The champion father shares a quote from Winston Churchill. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but an Optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
P: Phenomenal
The champion father shares with his children that they are outstanding. So separate yourself from the crowd by being Phenomenal.
Q: Quite an Imagination
The champion father shares with his children that their imagination can be their greatest asset.
R: Remarkable
For every new achievement and every new try, the champion father sends bombardments of “you are Remarkable” to his child. He knows each word is a trigger that will soon awaken the giant within.
S: Shining Star
The champion father shares with his children that Stars all born in darkness. He goes on to say, your dreams too maybe born in dark moments. But always remember that you are a Shining Star.
T: Terrific
By saying to his child that he/she is Terrific, he conveys the message that his child is first-class.
U: Unstoppable
The champion father share stories with his children about how he almost gave up hope. Right before he was ready to throw in the towel; he remembered that he is Unstoppable.
V: Victorious
The champion father tells his children that the greatest Victory they can have is over themselves.
W: Winners
The champion father looks them in their eyes after a failure or blunder and reminds them that in the end, if you do not get the results you desired don’t hang your head in shame. Lift up your head and know that you are a success and a Winner!
X: eXquisite
During those down moments of a champion father, it’s the smile of his children that pushes him to keep pushing. It is moments such as these he calls flawless love.
Y: You are special
The champion father reassures his love for his child by saying; your presence is a present to the world. You’re unique and one-of-a-kind.
Z: Love Zone
Lastly, he shares with his child, that no matter how old he or she gets, no matter near or far, together or apart. You will always have a special place in my heart. I love U!
Although love is both expressed through word and deed, the champion father realizes that one without the other is an incomplete package. Therefore he sets out to create a total package, a package that provides hope, love, and affection with his words whether through spoken, written, or in deeds.
Champion Father we salute you…
This post is an excerpt from Kashaun Cooper’s book, “The Champion Father”, which you can find on Amazon.com
An awesome article and one for us to think about as we move towards Fathers Day this June. In a television world that seems to love making men look irresponsible, inept, fat and stupid… it’s refreshing to think that actually many men are real contributors in the world and in particular in their families. Loved this article!