Here’s a quote from Charles R. Swindoll: “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” It’s beautiful, but what does that mean for us dads? What does that obligate us to do and provide?

Well, it does not mean you have to take them to Disneyland tomorrow, or wow them at every second. Think of your own childhood. What do you remember? Is it those big moments? Is it exclusively Christmas mornings? Or are your memories much more mundane?

What we remember about growing up are the little moments—the garbage time—as we’ve talked about before. We remember sitting in the passenger seat next to Dad on a long drive. We remember a barbeque. We remember waking up from a nap and coming downstairs and watching a football game. We remember that piece of advice. We remember thinking they were going to be mad at us for something and getting a hug instead. And conversely the wounds that we feel, they often come from other moments that are quite small. The feeling of being ignored. Getting yelled at for leaving our shoes out. The time that Dad didn’t stand up for us. The tension in the living room between parents. 

Today, you’ll be making plenty of these small deposits in their memory banks. What kind of ledger do you plan to leave?

P.S. This was originally sent on October 29, 2019. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”