A few years ago, my son Titus and I spent the weekend at a father/son retreat at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. And it was pretty incredible.

We had some great experiences together. Titus and I first hit the waterfront and took a paddle-boat out onto the lake. It was pretty comical. Titus weighs significantly less than I do, so the paddle boat listed to the side pretty hard. Kinda made it hard to turn…

That evening after dinner, we had some game time, a campfire with singing, a devotion, and s’mores, and a hayride around the camp property.

Late night activities included dodge ball, capture the flag and other games.

The next morning, there was a great opportunity for father and son devotions together after breakfast. This was probably the most meaningful part of the weekend for me. Sharing in God’s Word with my son that morning is a memory I will cherish.

After our devotion time, we headed to the climbing tower. Titus successfully attempted to climb the medium difficulty wall. This is one of the proudest moments I’ve experienced with Titus. After all, he was only eight, and this was a pretty significant achievement for him. Once on top of the tower, he zip-lined down the eighty foot cable to the bottom.

From there, we went to the tomahawk and archery ranges. Titus had some difficulty managing the drawstring on the bow, so his archery score was pretty low. But he excelled at throwing the tomahawks.

He managed to sink three into the wooden targets; beating me by one. Here’s a photo of Titus with two of his throws.

Before lunch, we built picture frames for the photos the camp took of each family. My photo and frame remains in my office, where I can see it frequently. Titus keeps his in his room.

After lunch, we loaded up and headed home.

Even though it was a short weekend, less than twenty-four hours, it was a significant event for both Titus and me.

Spending a good chunk of uninterrupted quality time with my son was great. It was the best part of my weekend. It was well worth the time and expense.

And the same is true for my son. When we got home, my wife asked Titus what the best part of the weekend was. His response? Spending time with his dad.

That simply reinforces in my mind that in order to be a great dad, I must intentionally invest time into the lives of my kids. Simply providing a house and putting food on the table isn’t enough.

Dads, our kids don’t want more stuff. They want us.

Take some time and spend it with your kids. You don’t have to do anything extravagant. Go for a hike. Check out a museum. Do a craft together. Throw a few tomahawks at a tree in the backyard. Whatever it is, just spend the time with your kids.

Put down the phone, the newspaper. Turn off the TV. Let them have you for a while.

It’ll be well worth the time.

Question: What do you do to have fun with your kids? You can leave a comment by clicking here.