by Jeff Zaugg, DadAwesome

The year was 2010, during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. My little sister was playing women’s ice hockey and I showed up to cheer her on by shaving three letters into my beard: U-S-A. It went perfectly with the American flag tied around my head like a bandana and my sister’s Team USA jersey that I’d squeezed into.

What happened over the next four days caught me off guard. Everywhere I went, strangers stopped me to take a photo. Japanese tourists. German families. Elderly couples from Australia. Each photo turned into another moment of genuine celebration — people laughing, pointing, giving thumbs up. I went from spectator to becoming part of their Olympic memories.

Here’s the bigger truth I learned from that experience: there’s a difference between loving something privately and declaring it publicly. When I made what I treasured obvious — carved it right into my lower face — I invited everyone around me into the joy.

Fatherhood has given that lesson whole new layers of meaning.

Your Face Is a Billboard

Your kids read your face constantly. They’re not looking for perfect words or perfectly planned moments. They’re watching your eyes when they interrupt your work. Your expression when they want to show you something. What happens on your face when they walk into the room.

John Burns, a guest on the DadAwesome podcast, put it simply: “Stay amazed!” Simple phrase. Massive impact on fatherhood. Wonder needs legs, though. It has to move from intention to action. My kids don’t collect my good intentions — they collect memories with me.

A few months ago, my daughters and I invented a card game called “Cards with Consequences.” After every round, the loser had to dash outside and cannonball into our pool. Pajamas and all. No prep. No budget. Our four-year-old lost the first round and bolted toward the pool shrieking with laughter. Moments like that aren’t accidents. We choose wonder over routine. We choose each other over what’s easy.

Three Ways to Declare It

It doesn’t have to be pool cannonballs or USA beard carvings. Here’s what declaring delight actually looks like day to day:

Eyes That Light Up. Your kids need to see genuine joy in your eyes. Love? That’s a baseline for dads. I’m talking about visible enjoyment — the kind where you’re enjoying them so much it shows everywhere. Your eyes, your expression, your whole face. They need to know without question that being their dad brings you real joy. Just like my USA beard announced my joy to the world, your face needs to tell that same story to your kids.

Unashamed Enthusiasm. I didn’t care if I looked ridiculous with letters carved into my face. Wonder-filled dads don’t care if they seem overly excited about their kids. Cheer loudly at their games. Ask questions about their friends. Get excited about their latest drawing. Dance ridiculously in the kitchen. Cry openly when they accomplish something meaningful. Focus your delight on their character, not just their performance. When your enthusiasm flows from love rather than expectation, your children feel treasured, not pressured.

Magnetic Joy. Strangers wanted photos with me because of the visible joy. When you lead your family with wonder, you create that same effect. Your kids want to hang out with you. Other families look at your family and think, I want what they have. Your joy pulls people in.

The Look on Your Face When They Walk In

I carved USA into my beard because I wanted everyone to know how proud I was of my sister. It was impossible to miss. What if your kids could see your delight that clearly? Not through some grand gesture, but through the everyday moments.

I’ve started practising this: when one of my daughters enters the room, I let my face show surprise and delight. Like the most wonderful person in the world just walked in. Because in that moment, she is.

Your kids won’t remember every word you said or every lesson you taught. But they’ll remember how your face looked when they walked into the room. When you declare your delight, when you let wonder show on your face, you’re shaping how your children see themselves and how they’ll love their own families someday.

So go be that dad. The one whose eyes light up. The one who makes wonder a daily choice. Your kids are watching. Let them see a dad who’s absolutely delighted to be theirs.

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This article was adapted from Jeff’s new book: DadAwesome: Dad Discoveries to Activate Awesomeness. Read a chapter and get a free video series here.

Jeff Zaugg is the founder of DadAwesome and host of more than 420 podcast episodes that have reached over a quarter million fathers seeking to discover the joy of fatherhood. He serves fathers through coaching programs and unique activation experiences that combine physical challenges with deep brotherhood, focused fatherhood training, and raising funds that propel the mission to more dads. Jeff and his wife Michelle are parents to four daughters, currently based in Northeast Florida.

Republished with thanks to Fathers.com. Image courtesy of Pexels.