One thing I've discovered as a father is that your children view you as the ultimate authority. Much as it was for me growing up, the phrase "Dad says so," is the ultimate trump card for my kids. It's game over for whoever dares to oppose the just and true holder of the Dad Says So.

We don't know the power we wield. Our children are looking to us for definite, authoritative statements. This is how God designed our kids. But it's not just about questions like "Who gets the DVD player?" or "Who has to help clean up?" Our children are asking questions that matter on a much more foundational level. The young girl dressing up in dresses and ribbons asks her daddy, "Am I pretty?" The reader looks up from their books and asks, "Am I smart, Daddy?" The boy who wrestles and tousles with his siblings wants to know, "Am I big and strong like you?"

They seldom ask directly. More often they wonder what we think of them and, if we're not careful, the enemy slips in his own accusations and signs it in daddy's name. "You're ugly! You're stupid! You're pathetic!" The devil shouts this at our kids from even the earliest ages. Even if he doesn't, why let your children sit in doubt? Why not tell them how you feel? Your girl is the most beautiful princess in the land! The studious child is smart and intelligent! The boy is a powerhouse machine ready to tear a house down! How can they not believe they have value if their Dad Says So? That's all that matters.

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