Daughter, continue being assertive!
Daughter,
You are determined to participate, and I greatly admire that. While we were getting ready to carve out pumpkins you made sure we knew that you wanted to be right where you could see what we were doing and be part of the family activity.
Daughter this assertiveness is a great trait to have, a skill that will help you succeed in life with many things, a skill that many will admire by watching you in the act of being bold. This is also something that I have struggled with greatly for the majority of my life, and have only in the last few years become better at using this tactic. This particular skill has made a world of difference for me, and as such I want you to know just how important this skill is.
If you learn nothing else, learn to be bold, assertive, and to speak your mind. It will sometimes come at the cost of being misunderstood by those who read what isn’t there between the lines, those who hear but do not listen fully, and those who would find fault where there is none. Despite those problems, it is absolutely worth it, and in time those whom are close to you will better understand that you mean what you say, nothing more or less. You will have the benefits of not suffering through being silent but speaking up when you need to, not making the mistaken assumption that others can read your mind but letting them know exactly where you stand.
Daughter, to be assertive, is to taste of freedom, and freedom is worth the cost.
Love,
Your Father
Posted in Daughter and tagged Assertive, Bold, Choice, Daughter, Freedom, Love, Potentialwith comments disabled.
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, 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.