Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

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My Kid Thinks All Mustang Owners Are Racecar Drivers

September 24, 2013 at 9:59 pm , by 

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

You can now correctly identify Ford Mustangs from across any intersection.

I didn’t teach you that- how did you learn that?

As we pulled into the school parking lot today, I remembered that one of your teachers, Ms. Debbie, owns a Mustang- so I parked next to it so you could see one up close.

You proudly posed for your picture next to it.

“She drives a Mustang racecar? We go to the race? I want to see Ms. Debbie race,” you told me.

When we got inside, I explained to Ms. Debbie that you believe she is a racecar driver.

It was a classic moment for me, getting to relate that hilarious information to her.

She was flattered… I think.

Then when I came to pick you up at the end of the day, I saw another Mustang convertible in the parking lot.

I had totally forgotten that another one of your teachers, Ms. Chastity, also drivers one too!

You didn’t know what to think after learning that…

Two of your teachers are racecar drivers, because, after all:

All Mustangs are racecars, therefore the people who drive them are automatically racecar drivers who compete in races.

Even now, I’m afraid to disappoint you by making the truth clear about your teachers and their Mustangs.

I’d rather you just believe that two of your teachers race each other each weekend at the Nashville Speedway.

As I parked the car at our house this afternoon, I reminded you that you have a blue toy Mustang with all your other cars in our living room.

“I do?!” you answered, very surprised.

Needless to say, you had a very exciting and pleasant dinner tonight, with your Mustang accompanying you.

I am going to be amazed if you don’t end up becoming a major car enthusiast.

It really makes me curious what you’ll have for your first car.

Well, we still have another 13 years to figure that out.

Until then, you keep doing your research. Who knows?

Maybe you’ll end up driving (and therefore, racing) a Mustang!

 

Love,

Daddy

 

 

 

 

 

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What It Means When Somebody Loves You

September 23, 2013 at 10:49 pm , by 

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Would You Actually Remember Me At This Point?

September 20, 2013 at 8:05 pm , by 

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

I would like to believe that I will grow old with you. That’s definitely my goal.

But something I am forcing myself to think about is… what if I didn’t? What if right now, something happened to me?

Would you actually remember me at this point in your life?

Would you read these near daily letters I’ve written to you and simply think about how you sort of remember me?

Or is there any possiblity that our memories together have stuck with you enough that I’ll always be a part of you, without any visual prompts needed?

It’s a strange and sad thought for me because my life is consumed by you. I remember everything we do and say together.

What if you only had these letters to go by to know who I was? Have I been thorough and open enough so that you would know who I really am and what mattered to me?

And if not, what would I want you to know?

I hope it would be obvious that I loved you and Mommy more than anything; that my world would fall apart without either of you in it.

I hope you would be able to see that my faith in God was what my relationship with you and Mommy was built on, despite my shortcomings which often reveal themselves in these letters.

I hope there would be no question that I was an eccentric man who lived an interesting life. It matters to me that you know this about me, because I wish the same for you.

Well, I’m sure I could go on and on about what I would want you to know about me, about yourself at this age, and about life itself.

But again, I plan to be around a very long time. So if I get my wish, there will be plenty of more letters to write you in these decades to come. I’ll tell you all about it.

I love you.

 

Love,

Daddy

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I Just Wanted To Say, I’m Proud of You

September 19, 2013 at 11:11 pm , by 

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Every morning as we’re getting ready to leave the house, one of the last things I do is put on your shoes.

Today, though, I came back from brushing my teeth to see you smiling on the stairs, with your new Sketchers already on.

In theory, I may have made a bigger of a deal out of it that necessary, but I had never considered that you could put your shoes on yourself.

I’ve always done that for you… everyday since I can remember.

You loved the fact you surprised me with this new skill of yours.

Then, shortly after, you sang your ABC’s all the way through, without messing up. That’s the first time I’ve heard you do that so flawlessly.

I’m proud of you. I just want to say that.

To be clear, I don’t just simply mean publicly. Sure, I’m proud of you like that, too.

But what I am really getting at is, privately, without the world watching or aware, I am proud of you.

As in, you make me proud, as my son.

I was thinking about this morning all day. During my lunch break, I stopped by Target to try to find you a 97 cent FJ Cruiser or Hummer; two SUV’s you are currently obsessed with.

You have way too many Hot Wheels cars already, but I just wanted to express my feelings to you. Turns out, I found neither car at the store, but just know I was so impressed by you that I at least tried.

Letting you know I’m proud of you is something I always want to keep at the forefront of our relationship. It’s important to me that you always know how I feel about you.

If I end up saying it too much, so be it.

 

Love,

Daddy

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I Used To Care About “Being Right” In Parenting

September 19, 2013 at 10:04 pm , by 

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Recently Mommy and I started going to a new Sunday School class, which mainly consists of other parents with young kids.

One young wife, who is very pregnant with her first child, learned that I daily document my experiences of parenthood with you, here on The Dadabase.

She responded, laughing, “Oh, well I guess that means we will be coming to you for parenting advice!”

I laughed with her, but seconds later, thought to myself, “Actually, I don’t really give advice. I simply just write about each baby step as well as every major milestone that I observe as a parent. But I don’t actually give advice, day to day. Not really.”

It’s been a process, for me, though.

I remember a couple of years ago, when I talked about and endorsed the “cry it out method” on a weekly basis.

By default, the cry it out method was right for our family, but it obviously isn’t for everyone.

I think it used to sort of matter to me that in my mind, my way was right, and the other ways were wrong.

Another example was how I used to be, in essense, anti-attachment parenting.

These days, I don’t want be known for what I am against, but instead, for what I do believe in.

This moment might be me trying to process that concept.

It’s amazing how little “being right” matters to me anymore. Maybe it’s because I’ve learned that for the most part, “being right” is a relative thing.

Back in 2011, I cared more about trying to convince people of stuff.

Not anymore. These days I just narrate my life and let the free market of freethinkers take its course.

And so it shall go for all other future events in your life:

I will talk about what’s going on, covering which personal decisions and lifestyle choices I encounter as a parent, but I don’t think there is any part of me that cares about converting anybody anymore, to whatever viewpoint I have.

Yet still, I am very passionate about what I talk about; it’s just that I only really talk about what I am passionate about.

It’s actually funny to me now, considering I used to care about “being right” in parenting.

The way I see it now, is that I don’t give parenting advice, I just simply go through new phases in my life, consisting of both baby steps and major milestones. If my perspective and narration accidentally serves as advice, well… then I will consider myself accidentally honored.

 

Love,

Daddy