The Gift of Life...Continuing to be a Father

I quickly want to share my good news on this blog. With marriage, some couples choose to grow their family while others choose not to. Well, I just want to say that my wife and I will be growing our family by one. Sometime next summer, a new blessing will be added to the Wells' household.

I anticipate the next 7 or 8 months being another interesting journey. I know there is a lot to be learned during this process...as it was during the other pregnancy 4 years ago. I look forward to whatever comes...especially the daily husband to-do-list :(

I think I will share some of my ongoing pregnancy experiences over these next months. It will be therapeutic to me to get some things off my chest...whether anyone listens or not :)

That's all. Just wanted to share my news.

Be strong and talk to you soon.

Signs That You are Doing a Good Job as a Father

I want to throw something at you to think about. How do you know if you are doing a good job as a father? Should we depend on others to tell us? Do we ask someone for feedback on how we are doing? These are good ways to get a feel on where you stand as a father, but feedback from others may be bias and sometimes over-opinionated. So how do you know?

Look internal. You look at yourself. Look at your actions. Look at your feelings. Look at your kid’s responses. Let me quickly explain. When you come home from work or you pick your kid up from daycare or school, what is your kid’s reaction when he or she sees you? My little man screams out DADDY each time I come home or when I pick him up from daycare. I can’t even explain how good that makes me feel. It truly makes me feel as though I am doing something right to get a response like that from him every day.

Next, how do you feel when you are away from you children for an extended period or when you miss one of your kid’s activities? If you feel nothing, then you need to check yourself to determine how involved you are in your kid’s life. If your kids remain constantly on your mind or you truly feel bad that you missed the activity, then that means you are and would like to be in every part of your kid’s life…acknowledging you are doing a good job as a father (even though you missed the event).

Lastly, how much do your kids like to hang out around you? Do they want to follow you around? Do they try to imitate things that you do? These are keys that tell you that you are making an impression on your kids. Just make sure you are doing positive things for your kids to imitate.

So I ask you now..."Are you doing a good job as a father?” Take a look at yourself and the actions of your kids to determine if you are doing all you can do to be a good father. If not, then step it up. If so, then keep the momentum going. We need to do all we can to ensure we produce a solid next generation.

I am going to leave you with that for now. Let me know if you are doing a good job as a father.

Don't forget; send me those T.R.U.E. Father pics of you and the kids to post on the blog.

Be strong and talk to you soon.

Happy Father's Day

I just want to wish all the fathers out in the world...fathers that are active in their kids lives, fathers that are not active in their kids lives, fathers that want to be active in their kids lives, and soon to be fathers... a Happy Father's Day weekend. I pray that you take time this weekend to reflect on the responsibility and the blessing that God has entrusted you with...your child/children. I pray that many people call you this weekend to congratulate you and thank you for handling your business of fatherhood. For many, this is your first Father's Day...ENJOY IT!!! We don't get any other days of honor so we have to take advantage of this day. Try to do something special for yourself. A friend of mine told me that he goes out for a round of golf with a few other fathers he knows to celebrate the weekend. Whatever you do, do it with pride and enjoyment. And don't forget to thank God for another year as a Father!

Be strong and talk to you soon.

*** Don't forget to email pics of you and your kids for display in the "T.R.U.E. Pics" section. Email the pictures to cedricwells7@gmail.com . ***

We Are Teachers

Fellas,

We were put on this earth to teach our kids, both sons and daughters.

If we are not there to teach our sons, how are they suppose to learn how to properly shave; how are they suppose to learn how to properly take care of the yard; how are they suppose to learn how to troubleshoot issues with the car; how are they suppose to learn how to change a flat tire; how are they suppose to learn how to throw a football, tackle, throw and catch a baseball; how are they suppose to learn how to treat a woman; how are they suppose to learn how to be a man?

If we are not there to teach our daughters, how are they suppose to learn how to trust a man; how are they suppose to learn how a man should treat a woman; how are they suppose learn what they should look for in a man; how are they suppose to learn that they are precious creatures that are not to be exploited; how are they suppose to learn that they are not to be abused by another man?

There are so many other questions that can be asked regarding how will kids learn things when fathers are not in their kid's life. We have to realize that we have one of the greatest responsibilities in this world...to raise the next generation. If we don't raise and teach our own kids about life and what it intels, whether in or out of the household, then who are we giving the responsibility to?...society?...cable networks?...video games?...older kids at school?

I know I may be preaching to the choir, but I hope someone will read this that may have overlooked his responsibility as a father and now realizes that he must be involved in his kid's life. It's not an option, it's a duty.

Be strong and talk to you soon.

What is a "Good Father"?

I want to throw this question out there for you to get a pulse of what the perception is of "good fathers". What we think is a "good father" may not be what society perceives as a good father. We need to determine and establish a standard of what a good father is. Once we know this, then we need to live it so that it can be passed on to our sons and passed over to other fathers that we encounter.

So I ask you now..."What is a good father?" I want to compile comments to establish an outline and then start digging into each of the areas that are established. This will allow fathers to get wiser in areas they haven't encountered yet with their kids.

A close friend of mine, Chistopher H., gave me excellent feedback on what he feels a good father is. Here are his comments (verbetum)...

"My interpretation of a Good Father, would be someone who

is willing to accept the responsibility and consequences for

another individual's actions without hesitation or regret. A

multitasked individual who is committed whole heartedly

to facilitating the growth of his family: spiritiually, mentally,

physically, and financially. A "Good Father" , through careful

observation, must establish a road map for his children to include

flexibility, morality, and intergrity. Lastly, a "Good Father"

should strive to understand the better he maintains his

well-being the better servant is for his family. He must

understand the importance of maintaining his physical , mental,

financial and spiritual health to be the best Father he can be."

I am going to leave you with that for now. Let me know your definition of a "good father".

Don't forget, send me those T.R.U.E. Father pics of you and the kids to post on the blog.

Be strong and talk to you soon.

T.R.U.E. Father Pictures

Guys, I really want to get this movement started. We need to not only talk about this thing called fatherhood, but we also need to show off fatherhood. With that being said, I want to start a "T.R.U.E. Father" picture slideshow on this blog. I want to display pictures of you with your kid or kids. This will serve as a little inspiration to fathers everywhere and I would hope that it will serve as motivation to fathers that need to be more active in their kid's life.

If you want to take part in this movement, please email your pictures (you and your kid/s) to cedricwells7@gmail.com . I want people around the world to see that men are doing what they were put on this earth to do...raise a family, community, nation, world.

Be strong and talk to you soon.

Purpose of T.R.U.E. Fathers

Fathers, I would like to welcome you to a blog built for you. The purpose of this blog, which the name “T.R.U.E.” bares, is “to restore, unite, and empower fathers. In today's society, fatherhood is sometimes depicted as nonexistent in many households. Unfortunately, there are too many households that consist of children that don’t have their fathers active in their lives. For those fathers that are active in their child’s life, we need to make sure we remain active. Additionally, we need to talk about our experiences so that the next father out there reading this can learn from what we have experienced.

I also want to show people the happiness that fatherhood brings. By showing this happiness, I pray that those fathers not active in their children’s life will somehow be led to become active with their children. I know it’s going to take more than talking about it online, but this is a start. Eventually, fathers that know other fathers that are not active with their kids will need to give those fathers a push to become active. As Cain asked God in the book of Genesis, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, we must realize that the answer to that question is yes, I am my brother’s keeper. With that being said, it is our responsibility to watch out for our brothers, friends, co-workers, and even people we don’t know.

This blog is for all fathers (and mothers please feel free to read also). It is for you to drive. While the blog will discuss topics that come to my mind regarding fatherhood, I would also like to discuss topics or questions that you may have on your mind. I want this to be an open forum for all to use. Because of this, I have asked several fathers that I am close to for assistance by providing their thoughts and expertise on the different topics being discussed. Each father will bring a different dynamic to a topic due to their situation. Their situations range from a single father raising a 5 year old girl to a married father raising five children. As for me, I am a married father raising two kids, a 13 year-old stepson and a 2 year-old son. So if you have any questions out there about fatherhood and what to do in a particular situation with your kids, please feel free to ask your questions thru the comment tool at the bottom of the posting (this can be done anonymously). I will post the question so that it can be discussed by fathers that may have the exact answer that you need. Your question may be just the thing that another father wanted to ask and needs an answer to.

Let's get this movement started. Let’s begin to restore, unite, and empower fathers.

Be strong and talk to you soon!