Want to be an intentional father? Me too. In this blog post, I share how a few intentional minutes a day with my son have had a huge impact on our relationship with each other and with God.  

In one of my recent podcast episodes, I shared with the host one way that I’ve been trying to be more intentional as a dad. Instead of sending my son Gabriel on the bus to school, I’ve been driving him myself. Even though it involves an 8-minute detour, it’s still important to me to take him to school before I go to work.

I have been thinking about how I can use these 7-9 minutes to intentionally connect with my son. I’ve tried listening to Christian music, tuning into Christian radio, and enjoying sports shows with him. But ultimately, I decided I want to do something different.

An intentional father

Several weeks ago, I started a new routine that we call Father-Son Teaching Moments. For a few minutes every morning on our drive, I have my 8-year-old’s full attention. This routine consists of 30 important topics we discuss together. Each topic is accompanied by a prompt question, a short explanation, an example for an eight-year-old to understand, and a Bible verse to ensure it is grounded in the Word.

Every morning, I ask him, “Gabe, what would you like to talk about today?” I give him his choice of our 30 topics.

We have been doing this for a few weeks now, every morning, Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, we get to talk about whatever Gabe wants! He is always attentive, eager to learn, and he actually remembers.

I’m truly proud of something that happened a few days ago. On the drive home from school, my wife asked Gabe, “What did you learn today?” Guess what he said? That’s right – he mentioned the topic we talked about that morning. (I’m not crying, you are.) 

I just want to encourage any father out there to genuinely consider having an intentional several-minute conversation every day with your son. Trust me, it will go further than a 2-hour conversation once a week. Those small deposits you make will pay dividends in the future.

These 30 topics are a 30-day challenge from me to you: pick a topic for tomorrow and go for it!

Ready to get started? Here’s the full guide:

On this Father’s Day, remember that it’s not about what you receive, but rather what you give to your family every day that matters the most. Keep up the good work!

– Oscar