What I hope to teach my child

I think all of you are aware by now that Emilee and I are expecting our first child. I want to thank everyone for the support they have given us while we struggled through our bout of infertility. It is good to know that there are people I can turn to and talk to about the things that frustrate me. By the way, we did it on our own!

I hope that I am a good father. Everyone is quick to say "you're going to be a great father", but will I be? How does one become a great father? I think my Dad tried everything he could to be a great father. But even the man I loved and respected had major flaws and in the end failed his wife and family. Thankfully I did gain a great lesson out of losing him. I learned that you cannot judge your success by the size of your bank account and you have to trust those that you love. I learned some other things from him early on like how to throw a curve ball, how to drive, and how to properly use a wrench. But I think the biggest lessons he taught me were in his death.

I don't want to wait that long to teach my child the biggest lessons they learn. I want my child to grow up knowing that friendships are important and that success is measured in happiness and family. My Dad may have thought those things deep down but he never let them manifest into life lessons. I want my child to see how a man loves his family, his life, and his friends. I also want my child to realize that be connected to the Holy Spirit is an important part of success. I am going to need reminders from some of you when I fail to show this myself.

I want to show my child that the parents are in charge, but easy to talk to. I have no thoughts of being "BFF" with my kid, they have to understand the difference between parenting and friendship. I want them to feel safe with Emilee and I, but I also want that healthy dose of fear we had for our Dad's. Where is the balance?

I want to teach my child to respect all people, at first anyway, and that the best way to earn respect is through honesty and hard work. How many people do you know that are lazy & sneaky that you respect? I can think of several that I think the gene pool would be better off without, and that's just in the immediate family! LOL

Finally, I want to teach my child to think for themselves. To develop a trust in their senses and intellect that allows them to make solid decisions. Notice I did not say the right decision. Mistakes are a part of life and we often learn more from them than we learn from doing the right thing. They need to be able to fend for themselves because one day we won't be there to do it for them.

Oh, and no roller shoes!

Stay Safe,

Rob