Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

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Dear Jack: You are Now a Yellow Belt in Taekwondo!

10 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

You have been faithfully committed to going to your weekly Taekwondo lessons at Red Tiger Martial Arts for nearly 3 months now- and this past week, your hard work paid off!

I was there to see you successfully pass your yellow belt testing; which included being able to do your poomsae (in English, “patterns” or “forms”) of blocks, punches, and kicks- as well as reciting several phrases in Korean, and most excitedly… breaking through a board on your first try!

Taekwondo is definitely your thing. You have discovered the perfect extracurricular activity to challenge you physically and mentally.

I am so proud to be there for each of your lessons- and especially your first belt testing- from white to yellow belt!

Love,

Daddy

 

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Dear Holly: You are Now 5 and a Half Years Old

5 years, 6 months.

Dear Holly,

There are some people in life who seem to act the exact same way, every time you see them. In my life, you are definitely one of those people. You always brighten my day, whether you are trying to or not.

You have a way of making me feel more alive and grateful. You simply smile and it changes everything for me. You make me feel loved

Just simply be being here.

We have a special connection. I am so fortunate to have you as my daughter.

You are precious. You are a jewel.

Now at 5 and a half years old, your personality is well established. This is you. I am so glad it is.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your First Paid Job, Pet Sitting

10 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

This month was historic for you, in that it made the first time you truly had a paying job!

When you friend Landon’s family went out of the state for a week, it was up to you go to their house each day to feed their 3 cats- as well as a huge tank full of fish.

You took special care in making sure you could locate all 3 cats before we left their house each day. A few days in, you were able to more predictably figure out where each of the cats were hanging out; whether it was under the couch or on top of a bunk bed.

I am proud of you!

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, Nostalgia, parenting, People, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The Family We’ve Become in the Past Decade

10 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

Tonight before bedtime, as a family, we ended up randomly looking through our family’s photos on Mommy’s Facebook account. We spent about 20 minutes travelling back a solid decade; back to when you were still just a baby.

Back to when Mommy and I were brand-new parents, still in our 20s… and now we’re both 40!

And now, you’re less than a month away from turning 11 years old; as strange as that sounds to say.

From my perspective, it almost seems like when Mommy and I got married over 13 years ago, we were just playing house. Then, after a year, we found out about you coming along.

Flash forward to now: This is your last year of Elementary school. You do Taekwondo. You don’t really care so much about plastic toys anymore or Pokemon cards.

You’re growing up. And this whole time, I’ve been doing my best to not let a minute slip past me.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: You Asked Me, “How Can a Skeleton Believe in Heaven?”

5 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

To my surprise, this Halloween season has apparently sparked some theological discussions I barely feel qualified to answer.

I am assuming your recent questions have been inspired by all the Halloween decorations in our neighborhood, which include plenty of skeletons and ghosts.

My favorite question of yours:

“Daddy, how can a skeleton believe in Heaven?”

I’m pretty sure that you’ve been swapping the word “skeleton” for the word “person”, as you have asked me several times now, “Daddy, are we really just skeletons?”

The best I could explain it was that yes, we are skeletons, but the spirit inside of us makes us actually alive; that’s sort of like the ghost decorations you’ve been seeing. I went on to explain that basically, if you combine a skeleton and a ghost, that’s more like a real person.

You went along with my narrative, then followed up with, “But Daddy, how do the skeletons believe if they don’t have a brain?”

Good point. My logic involving skeletons and ghosts didn’t quite provide a reasonable enough explanation.

So I asked you, “Holly, do you believe in Heaven?”

You immediately shook your head, yes.

I responded, “Then that’s all that matters.”

Love,

Daddy