We have a whole website about being ninja dads, and we may have loosely defined what a ninja dad is in a few places. But as we improve both our ninja skills and our dad skills, it’s worth revisiting.
Take note, apprentices and dadawans: I’m going to state a few things I believe are imperative to becoming a Ninja Dad:
- You are your child’s father, not their friend. I tell my kids this often. They know it’s my job to teach them, to protect them, and to raise them to be polite, productive adults. I’m not afraid of them and I never will be. And you know what? They are secure in my love and they know I won’t let them get away with disrespectful behavior.
Are my kids perfect? Yes. I am a perfect father with perfect children. Said no one ever.
- Ninja Dads strive to do the best they can and know that sometimes you just need to give up and start over tomorrow. Sometimes you just have to let the room be dirty. Pick your battles. If the entire situation is going to lead to frustration on both ends, let it go and start over tomorrow.
- Have some fun with your kids! The best part of being a Ninja Dad is reliving all the awesome stuff you did when you were a kid. Have fun with them and push them to challenge themselves! Make them hike to the top! They will gain confidence and be better for it.
- Remember that dads are important. 90% of all homeless and runaway youths grew up without fathers. There is a reason for that. A well-adjusted child needs a loving father. That’s what a Ninja Dad is. (You can look at the statistics HERE.)
- Don’t take yourself too seriously. Seriously. Don’t take yourself seriously.
We’ve also suggested that Ninja Dads are adept at combining ingenuity and laziness to raise better kids. And hey… maybe there’s something to that, too.
We enjoy many things about the Ninja Dad life, but one thing we don’t like is repeating ourselves. Constantly. Especially when it has to do with manners, behavior, and general commonsense decorum.
So, rather than nag ourselves hoarse, we developed a genius reminder system to keep our kids in line. They’re called manners cards, and we swear, sometimes they actually work. Check them out here.