This video is one of a series produced by SoulPancake, looking at what it means to be a father today, and the role our dads played in our own lives. In “A Letter to My Kids” from The Fatherhood Project this dad truly expresses what all parents feel.

Filmmaker Corbyn Tyson explores what it means to be a good dad. He recognizes that we are all affected by our father (or lack of). Maybe he wasn’t there, maybe he was there too much. What did your parents do right and what did they do wrong?

What did your parents do right and what did they do wrong?

A Letter To My Kids | The Fatherhood Project

In this video, Corbyn shares with us a letter to his kids. He addresses each one of them in a unique way. He shares with them what he thinks is most important in life because it makes you happy. Even though this video doesn’t address the topic of faith or God, it sets the tone to start a conversation, inviting parents to take the simple activities in their daily lives to the next level to find hope and purpose.

“When you were born something changed inside of me…suddenly the world was not about me, it wasn’t about what I wanted. It changed into a world of what you needed. First it was painful. Living for yourself is something easy but living for others is one of the hardest things. But when you make a choice to live for others, something happens something changes, living for others is the secret sauce.”

This is the opening statement which, in my opinion, is at the heart of this video. The more I think about it, the more I marvel at the precious gift of our lives. This reminds me that true love is limitless, the more you give it away the more it multiplies.

How To Use This Video In Your Ministry

I have used this video as a starter to talk about unconditional love to parents of children in the First Communion Program at my Parish. I can say that this video touches every person’s desire of love and need to give of ourselves and in special way those who are parents. I talked to them about their mission to be God’s instruments for their children to experience who God the Father is. The first thing that people relate to when they learn about God the Father is their own experience with their dad.

Unconditional love is, as the name suggests loving without any conditions but I think that there is a risk if we just take unconditional love in a very permissive way as if “doesn’t matter what you do I will always love you” not taking into account that every act, every decision we make has consequences.

The challenge that parents face today is how to teach unconditional love to their kids. Unconditional love is also tough love. No matter what, parents are to love their children, and love requires patience, understanding, and commitment. It requires parents to go beyond their comfort zone constantly, especially when things are most difficult.

It also implies learning how to forgive within the family. Children need to learn how to love selflessly and how to forgive out of love. As children prepare to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, they will experience God’s unconditional love in this beautiful Sacrament.

The best example of unconditional love is Jesus. He gave His life so that we may live. He took all our sins and through His own sacrifice he was able to grant us the forgiveness of our sins. That’s the type of unconditional love we are all called to live each in our own vocation; to love others as Jesus loved us.

This guest post was written for Catholic-Link by Susana Nieto.

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