Wisdom for Our Sons

Before I became a cop, I thought poverty, racism, bad neighborhoods and substandard

schools were the reasons young men failed to succeed in life. Then I joined the police

department, hit the streets and immediately got mugged by reality: I was wrong, the media

were wrong, my professors were wrong and the politicians were wrong. Why? From my first

day on the job I was meeting young men from the poorest of homes in the worst of neighborhoods

who were honest, intelligent, respectful and destined for future success. I also

met just as many young men who were born into wealthy homes, in wonderful neighborhoods,

who had no respect for their parents, abused alcohol and drugs, were opportunistic

thieves, and ended up in the back seat of my patrol car on a regular basis.

It didn’t take long before I discovered that it was the fathers—yes, the fathers; they

were the single most important factor in determining the future success or failure of their

sons. What can you do to become a good dad, or maybe even a great dad? Teach your

son. Teach him valuable life lessons about faith, honesty, love, courage and other important

virtues. Teach him about God, teach him about Angels and teach him about you.