Letters from Dad: #1

I'm really excited about a new monthly series that we are starting today on the blog! Most of our blog is written by me (Rebecca). As nice as that is, I want our kids to have something from their Daddy during their growing up years as well.

I approached Sean last week with the idea of having him write a monthly post. He loved the idea and immediately started working on the first one. What a precious gift for our kids to have down the road!

It’s been two years since I remember posting. The last post I remember writing was the children’s birth announcement. I might have posted since then but I don’t recall. You see, Becca asked me if I was interested in doing a monthly post. To which, I responded, about what? She said I can write about whatever I wanted. So this month, I am going to write about what I want the children to know.

The first and main thing that I would like the children to know is that I approve of who they are. I find that a lot of people go through life seeking someone’s approval, usually their parents or an authority figure. So I want them to know that I approve of who they are and pray that they end up being who God wants them to be. 

The things about my children I am currently in love with: Elijah’s smile, Abby’s hugs, Elizabeth’s jabbering, & Caleb’s adventuring.

Things I wish they would stop doing: Abby climbing up shelves and stealing pens, Caleb climbing on tables and standing, Elizabeth waking up in the middle of the night and talking for hours, Elijah mimicking his brother.

I find it strange, because the things that I wish they would quit doing, I am actually really proud of. I love their sense of adventure and the joy it brings them. I love that Abby and Caleb climb, especially Caleb, because he is so shy and reserved. I love that Ellie wants to talk to us in the middle of the night. I love that Elijah supports his brother. He is such a good brother to all his siblings. I love that when we take them outside they run free with wild abandon. I love that they play and climb on the playhouse that Pa (my dad) brought over. 

My mom once told me that 20 years in the future seems like forever, but 20 years in the past was only yesterday. The past two years have flown by. The children have a lot of growing but at the same time, in some ways, they will be adults any minute now, in a twinkling of an eye.

I want my kids to see life as a grand adventure. If we allow others to set our standards for us then we beat ourselves down, and I don’t want that for my kids. I want them to fly and soar on the wings of eagles. 

I want them to be free to make mistakes, because mistakes are really learning opportunities. Unfortunately, sometimes, we don’t learn the first time and we have to make mistakes more than once. That’s okay, eventually we learn and if we don’t, hey, that’s life.

My children: Try to make friends with people who are nicer than you or you feel are better people than you. Being around friendly people or happy people will make you a friendly or happy person. Like people are attracted to like people. You will need a circle of friends who will encourage you. Remember the words in Ecclesiastes. Mommy and Daddy had them read at their wedding so that they would not forget the value of a friend.

Do not be jealous or look down on other people even your friends. Most the time when you see a person, you are either seeing them at their best or their worst, and you will never know their complete story.  Everyone has their cross that they need to bear.  When you see someone and you feel pity for them, know that they might be feeling the immense joy of being blessed by God. And when you feel jealous of someone, you might not know that they are dealing with a tragedy in that moment or in the future.

I want them to trust people until they give them a reason not to. When you meet someone new whether they be homeless or a different nationality or a different political view or different religion, trust them and assume they are being honest with you. The world is full of distrust. Maybe if we assumed people weren’t out to get one over on one another we could start to love one another more.

Lastly, my sweet children love each other. Love your siblings. You are going to have a lot of disagreements in life. Life isn’t always going to be all sunshine and lollipops. But remember where you came from, from the second you were conceived you were literally right next to each other. Please try to remember that in your lives. No matter how angry you get, you are family. After God, no one will love you like family. Look out for one another. Love each other and spread that love to the world. The world needs a little more love. Be that love.

Love,

Dad

I'm really excited about a new monthly series that we are starting today on the blog! Most of our blog is written by me (Rebecca). As nice as that is, I want our kids to have something from their Daddy during their growing up years as well.

I approached Sean last week with the idea of having him write a monthly post. He loved the idea and immediately started working on the first one. What a precious gift for our kids to have down the road!

It’s been two years since I remember posting. The last post I remember writing was the children’s birth announcement. I might have posted since then but I don’t recall. You see, Becca asked me if I was interested in doing a monthly post. To which, I responded, about what? She said I can write about whatever I wanted. So this month, I am going to write about what I want the children to know.

The first and main thing that I would like the children to know is that I approve of who they are. I find that a lot of people go through life seeking someone’s approval, usually their parents or an authority figure. So I want them to know that I approve of who they are and pray that they end up being who God wants them to be. 

The things about my children I am currently in love with: Elijah’s smile, Abby’s hugs, Elizabeth’s jabbering, & Caleb’s adventuring.

Things I wish they would stop doing: Abby climbing up shelves and stealing pens, Caleb climbing on tables and standing, Elizabeth waking up in the middle of the night and talking for hours, Elijah mimicking his brother.

I find it strange, because the things that I wish they would quit doing, I am actually really proud of. I love their sense of adventure and the joy it brings them. I love that Abby and Caleb climb, especially Caleb, because he is so shy and reserved. I love that Ellie wants to talk to us in the middle of the night. I love that Elijah supports his brother. He is such a good brother to all his siblings. I love that when we take them outside they run free with wild abandon. I love that they play and climb on the playhouse that Pa (my dad) brought over. 

My mom once told me that 20 years in the future seems like forever, but 20 years in the past was only yesterday. The past two years have flown by. The children have a lot of growing but at the same time, in some ways, they will be adults any minute now, in a twinkling of an eye.

I want my kids to see life as a grand adventure. If we allow others to set our standards for us then we beat ourselves down, and I don’t want that for my kids. I want them to fly and soar on the wings of eagles. 

I want them to be free to make mistakes, because mistakes are really learning opportunities. Unfortunately, sometimes, we don’t learn the first time and we have to make mistakes more than once. That’s okay, eventually we learn and if we don’t, hey, that’s life.

My children: Try to make friends with people who are nicer than you or you feel are better people than you. Being around friendly people or happy people will make you a friendly or happy person. Like people are attracted to like people. You will need a circle of friends who will encourage you. Remember the words in Ecclesiastes. Mommy and Daddy had them read at their wedding so that they would not forget the value of a friend.

Do not be jealous or look down on other people even your friends. Most the time when you see a person, you are either seeing them at their best or their worst, and you will never know their complete story.  Everyone has their cross that they need to bear.  When you see someone and you feel pity for them, know that they might be feeling the immense joy of being blessed by God. And when you feel jealous of someone, you might not know that they are dealing with a tragedy in that moment or in the future.

I want them to trust people until they give them a reason not to. When you meet someone new whether they be homeless or a different nationality or a different political view or different religion, trust them and assume they are being honest with you. The world is full of distrust. Maybe if we assumed people weren’t out to get one over on one another we could start to love one another more.

Lastly, my sweet children love each other. Love your siblings. You are going to have a lot of disagreements in life. Life isn’t always going to be all sunshine and lollipops. But remember where you came from, from the second you were conceived you were literally right next to each other. Please try to remember that in your lives. No matter how angry you get, you are family. After God, no one will love you like family. Look out for one another. Love each other and spread that love to the world. The world needs a little more love. Be that love.

Love,

Dad