Our 872nd Dad in the Limelight is Karl Staib of Bring Gratitude. I want to thank Karl Staib for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing Karl Staib with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
My name is Karl Staib and I’m a father of two boys. I’m the author of Bring Gratitude: Feel Joyful Again with Bitesized Mindset Practices, and it’s pushed me into the limelight. My hope is that more fathers practice gratitude with their children. Being grateful for them and showing them how to be grateful for all the blessings they have in their lives.
2) Tell me about your family
I’ve been married to my amazing wife of 12 years. We have two boys, ages 9 and 4. They are amazing and frustrating. Just last week I told my oldest to go and use the bathroom before we left for our camping trip. After 5 minutes I come back in and he is brushing his teeth. I asked him why he was brushing his teeth and he said that’s what he was supposed to do. I told him to finish up. Then when he got to the garage to put his shoes on he said he needed to go to the bathroom. big sigh
I told him to go and use the bathroom and then we have to go. This one tested my patience greatly.
I love my family, but there are always challenges. Every father must understand and appreciate all aspect of a family.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
I think it’s health scares. My youngest son had blood work because he has been throwing up every so often in the middle of the night. The doctor said he might have liver issues. We took him general practitioner and they took blood to check his organs. They said he might be having liver issues. We were referred to a gastroenterologist pediatric specialist and he was diagnosed with Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, which is brought on by a food allergy. We are now in the process of figuring what he is allergic to so he doesn’t throw up in the middle of the night anymore.
I was just so grateful for the amazing doctors that we have and that he didn’t have any liver issues. Health scares are what helps me remember how lucky I am to have a healthy family.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
The two greatest gifts you can give your kids are to listen and appreciate them.
When you listen to them they feel loved. I mean truly listening with asking good questions. Questions that show that you care about what they are saying.
The second gift is showing and telling them that you appreciate them. You aren’t perfect and they aren’t either, but if you show them appreciation on a regular basis that will help them build confidence.
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
I love to write and go for walks while listening to podcasts and I have a full time career, so my time is limited. I’ve found that my phone is my greatest tool. I write using Google Docs when I have 15 minutes of time. Those 15 minutes here or there usually add up to an hour to an hour and a half of writing a day. I can usually get around 1,000 words each day. My last book was 40,000 words, so I can write a rough draft in approximately 40 days.
I share this with you because it’s about priorities. I make time for my family, work and writing. Everything else can wait until the next day.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
Fathers have to support each other. We are in a transitory time. We are going from old school way of raising kids to the new school. Today’s generation of fathers are much more empathetic than my father’s generation. And we still have so much room to improve. We are adjusting with the times. We have more information that we are using to help raise smarter, healthier and resilient kids. That’s why we need each other. We need to share ideas of how to raise smart, caring and resilient kids, so our community becomes stronger.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
When I started keeping a gratitude journal it was mostly to help my negative mindset. Little did I realize that it would help me become a better father. I’m more patient. Just last week when my son was throwing a fit because he didn’t want to put on his shoes. I found a tiny glimmer of gratitude by thinking someday I’ll miss this because I knew I would.
It was this thought that stopped me from escalating the situation and yelling at him to put on his shoes. I took a different tactic. I told him that I could put my shoes on before him. That’s all he needed to hear. He ran over to his shoes, threw them on, and ran to the car. It was one of my biggest wins as a father because I saw how far I’ve come.
What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
Being lucky enough to hug and play with my kids. I get busy, but I know my role as a father is to make them laugh, be silly, set guidelines, and make sure they are loved. I think playing with them is the best way to do all of those things.
If you are interested, join Karl’s free 30-Day Bring Gratitude Challenge running May 1st thru 30th. It’ll help strengthen your mindset. Come join us and you’ll get email updates and a private Facebook group. If you have any questions, I’ll be available 7 days a week during this time. My goal is to get the smartest and most caring people together to create an amazing community, so we can help each other learn from our mistakes and build a life that we love.
If you have any questions for Karl Staib, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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The post Dads in the Limelight – Karl Staib of Bring Gratitude appeared first on Dad of Divas.