Son, calm the storm.
Son,
I remember getting home today and walking in the door to witness the middle of your tantrum in the kitchen. It seemed like you wanted a snack, but you had graham crackers, and lemonade sitting right there in front of you, however I still do not know why you were upset, or what set you off.
What I do know is that you started to calm down slightly when I came over and picked you up. Then when I was talking calmly to you, asking what you needed, that helped calm your storm. What really calmed you down completely though, was when I just started walking around the house to do what I was going to do any way, while carrying you in one of my arms. After a moment you soon calmed down and seemed content to have your fathers’ attention.
Son, I hope that as you grow up, you will learn to calm yourself down and more effectively communicate what you want, to the benefit of yourself and everyone else around you. I hope you will also look to Christ, as he calmed down the raging storm, so too can you calm down a raging storm in others, and situations around you. I have seen in you the personality the traits of warm, friendly, strong willed, and others looking up to you. The potential, which these traits bring to become a great leader through discipline, living true and correct principles, service, and love, is enormous.
Son, you have the potential to become a great man who does much good, I hope to do my best to teach you to do so. However in the end it will ultimately come down to the choices you make, the paths you take, and my ability to teach you that every choice you make has a consequence, and while you don’t get to pick the consequences, you do get to pick what choices you make.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Son and tagged Calm, Choice, Christ, Consequence, Discipline, God, Love, Potential, Principles, Service, Sonwith comments disabled.
Daughter, keep on smiling
Daughter,
I want you to know that I enjoy coming home from work and seeing that big smile on your face light up, and that sweet little laugh of yours. You have such a happiness that surrounds you and can light up any room, don’t ever lose it. I can tell that you are happy, you enjoy life, and you enjoy our attention, don’t ever change that.
One of the things I hope you learn over time is that while the world can try to drag you down, it is up to you to choose to be happy in any moment, circumstance, and situation. You have the power to choose happiness no matter what external factors are happening around you, it’s not always easy, but it’s always a choice that you have. If you keep on doing what you do now, you’ll do great, and this should come more naturally to you than it does for most.
Daughter, I hope that you learn to use your happiness to lift up, let sunshine into the souls of others around you, and influence them to be better. Look to your mother as an example to learn this lesson, she has this affect on me, and I have become a much better man because of it. She can teach you so many other valuable lessons as you grow up into a young woman, listen to her, confide in her, she is amazing, and will stand with me to be your support and champion in all things that are good.
Daughter, It is my hope that you learn this and many more lessons that I am trying to teach you before you are an adult. I’m trying to teach you how important that you are, how to exercise your God given talents to brighten up the world, while demanding and earning the respect that you so deserve, from yourself as well as everyone else. Daughter I love you.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Daughter and tagged Choice, Daughter, God, Happy, Love, Mother, Smilewith comments disabled.
Son, share your ice cream!
Son,
I want you to know that I enjoy the time we spend together. I appreciate the times that you come over and want to “sit with dad”, even if it is only because I’m eating ice cream, and you know if you’re sitting on my lap, that I will share with you. I will share with you my ice cream, and my time, because I love you. And I hope that someday you will have a son of your own to share ice cream with.
One of the things I want to teach you in life is generosity. It makes sense to me that you need a role model as an example, not someone who merely says “Do what I say, not what I do.” So I hope that you can look up to me as I try to be that role model that you so desperately need. I hope you can look up to me and say to others some day that you noticed I was generous. I hope you notice that I always try to put everyone in our families needs above my own. If I want something I make sure you have what you need before I consider to get it, and then only if it makes sense.
Son, I hope you learn at the appropriate time that part of being a mature adult, is not getting everything you want. Part of it is making sure that you share what God has blessed you with in this life with others around you. I believe that God knows our hearts, he knows who of us really will share, and tends to favor blessing them with more. And I believe that this is the natural order of things because we are to act on his behalf as his hands from time to time, to lift each other up, and as we do so, we will live a rich and fulfilling life.
Son, it is my hope that you learn this among many other lessons I am trying to teach you before you are an adult. I’m trying to teach you how important you are to me, and I know at the same time you are teaching me about how important I am to you. I may say this all of the time to you, it is only because of how important it is for you to know it, Son I love you.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Son and tagged Generosity, God, Ice cream, Love, Sharing, Sonwith comments disabled.
Puppy, potty train already!
Dear Puppy,
While I realize that you are only 15 weeks old right now, and that you still require a fair amount of training, I also want you to know that I do not care for you going potty in our home.
We found you and at the time I wasn’t fond of the idea of adding a puppy to our family right then, but when we went to go look at puppies, you stood out from the pack of your siblings. I remember you played it up like I was your best pal in order to get into our family, and it worked. That was then, and this is now. Puppy, you have been found out, and I know you’re really a mommy’s boy now. That said I still enjoy the time we have to play, and the progress that you’ve made with some of your training.
We both know that you know better than to go potty in the house, and most of the time you do a good job at that. However, there are other times where you know you shouldn’t, but rather than let me know so I can let you out to go potty, you sneak off and do the dirty deed as if you think I’m stupid and can’t smell your excrement. News flash puppy, I can smell it, and I don’t like it one bit in my house.
Puppy, I want you to know that I love you or you wouldn’t still be part of the family, and you won’t be going anywhere as long as I have a say about it. That said, you need more training, a lot more training, so you will be getting training, because see the potential in what kind of dog you can grow up to be, and because I love you.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Puppy and tagged Love, Mommy, Potty Training, Puppy, Sneakywith comments disabled.
Daughter, first date!
Dear Daughter,
While I realize that you are only 4 months old right now, you are still perfect and incapable of doing any wrong. You are such a beautiful, sweet, and happy girl, and I really enjoy having you in our family.
I enjoyed our one on one time together yesterday, our Father and Daughter date, if you will. It was fun to spend the evening just the two of us getting to form and strengthen our special Father and Daughter relationship. While this was only our first such outing, I am beginning to understand just how important it will be over time to keep having these moments together. Moments that will help us both more fully realize just how special and important that you are, and how much you mean to me.
It was fun to take you to the store and pick out a special outfit for you, and I couldn’t help but say yes to that sweet face of yours when I showed you the outfit and asked if you wanted me to buy it for you, and your precious smile lit up your face to say yes.
Daughter, I want you to know that I will do everything that I can to protect you. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything as you grow older, and know that I am here to help guide and teach you in life. Daughter, I want you to know that I love you.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Daughter and tagged Beautiful, Date, Daughter, Happy, Love, Protectwith comments disabled.
Son, don’t spit!
Dear son,
While I realize that you are only two years old right now, I also realize that I don’t want you to grow up to be a grown man my age who partakes in the type of behavior where you may think it is acceptable to spit in anyone’s face, or worse. Even though right now it is difficult, even impossible sometimes for you to understand why I ask you not to do certain things which seem funny; I still want you to do them, because I am trying to teach you to become a better man than I myself am capable.
It sure seemed like you thought it was really funny to spit in your mothers face. She didn’t appreciate it, and I was disappointed with that behavior because we have talked about this very thing before, and I know that you know better. Even worse, in my attempt to release you from the consequence of time out, you thought it well to spit in my face also, which merely extended the length of your stay.
Son, I do not enjoy putting you in time-out, or enforcing the consequences which I give you before allowing you to make your own choice, it is because of my love for you that I do. I want you to know that it is much better for you to learn and understand sooner than later that every choice we make has a consequence, whether it is good or bad. It is better to learn these lessons now, while you are young and making smaller mistakes, than as an adult making mistakes against the laws of society which are not forgiving. I would much prefer that you always make the right choice, and as an adult I know that would simply be asking far too much of a toddler.
Son, while I am attempting to teach you the difference between appropriate behaviors and inappropriate behaviors, I know that you are teaching me patience, tolerance, and more about God, and his mercy. You are teaching me how imperfect I am, and how much I need to look up to God’s example and apply it to the relationship between you and me. Son I want you to know that I love you.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Son and tagged Choice, Consequence, God, Love, Mistakes, Son, Spitwith 1 comment.