Fatherly Advice from Viral Dad Ben Sowards
Posted: June 17, 2017 | Author: Cami Mathews | Read Time: 1 minutes
After his heroic act turned viral, we wanted to follow up with the dad of 11 to ask his advice for fatherhood. Ben Sowards, associate professor of Illustration, has years of experience when it comes to being a dad.
Sowards and his wife have seven biological and four adopted children. They always desired to help others, spending years getting ready to become foster parents. The family adopted four children, one boy and three girls, this past April.
When Sowards and his wife began foster care, they knew they would not screen the kids or send anyone back. They felt that those standards were fair because with biological children, the family does not get to choose. Through his love and passion for strengthening his family, Sowards has spent years understanding his family dynamic and getting to know each one of his children.
Here are Sowards' bits of advice for any current or soon-to-be dad:
- Parenting is most effective one on one. Anything more falls somewhere between motivational speaking and management.
- Compliment each child whenever and wherever you can.
- Hug often and do not be the first to let go.
- Each member of the family is wearing everyone else's jersey. We are all each other's fans.
- When one of us wins, we all celebrate. When anyone hurts, we all feel that too.
This article was published more than 5 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.