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When Daddy Is a Seatbelt

I am the proud father of three beautiful girls (and one handsome son, but this tale focuses more on my daughters).  Our middle girl, Galilee (Gal for short), is a little bit of a daddy's-girl.  Okay, she a huge daddy's-girl. It's rare for me to sit down in the living room without her trying to sit on my lap.  She loves to cuddle with her daddy, and he doesn't mind one bit either!  I love and cuddle with all three of my daughters, but Galilee was our second child, so I naturally held her more her older sister.  I guess she sort of got used to being with me.

Occasionally when she is sitting on my lap, she will gleefully grab my arm and drape it across her torso, saying something to the effect of, "Daddy is my seat belt!"  To be honest, I barely even noticed what she was saying the first few times she did it, but when I took the time to listen, the profundity of her words struck me.  Now, she's just an almost-four-year-old having fun, but those words really struck me.  You see, they reflect important truths about who I am and the role I, along with every other father, play.  It's my job to protect her and her siblings.  It's my job, furthermore, to make her feel protected.  It's my job as her spiritual guide and life coach to hold her back, at least at this point in her life, from the things that can harm her.  Like a seat belt, I can't altogether keep her from the crashing, but I can do everything in my power to minimize the damage.

It seems like our culture is constantly encouraging "suppressed" people groups (women, children, minorities, etc.) to reject any and all authority, but we should never mistake protection for suppression.  This is particularly true for children.  Parents are entrusted with children for the purpose of guiding them into adulthood.  If they are to accomplish this calling effectively, nurture and discipline are both necessary.  Throwing off the authority of parents is really a rejection of their protection, for true leadership protects and edifies; it does not dominate.  Many times, it seems, our modern era harms those it seeks to emancipate.

I consider myself blessed to be called to this role of fatherhood, and I take that job very seriously. I truly did not know the depths of love or worry until we had our first child.  There are many things I wanted to be when I was younger.  I never expected that I would end up being a seat belt, but I'm glad I am!
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