fatherhood

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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

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Dear Holly: To Miss Seeing You for a Day is Like Missing a Month

5 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

Now that we are on our 2nd hamster as a family pet, which only has a lifespan of about a year and half, it puts it into perspective that a day in the life of humans is equal to a couple months in the lifespan of a hamster.

I feel like in a similar way, time passes by too quickly on my end as I watch you grow up; in your little girl phase.

One day is not just 24 hours. One day, for a 5 year-old girl, is more like a few weeks, or even a month!

So when I don’t see you for a few days, like when you recently spent the weekend in Alabama with Nonna and Papa, it made me feel like you grew up a little bit more without me!

I do my best to cherish every minute I have with you!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: You Wore Pink Angel Wings to Church!

5 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

You and your brother love any opportunity to go to Dollar Tree. While I was out buying groceries this past weekend, Mommy took you both by there, to let you pick out a cheap toy to entertain yourself with for a few days.

When I saw you back at house, you proudly showed me your new “pink angel” Halloween costume.

You loved the pink wings so much, that you decided to wear them to church the next day.

Understandably so, you received some compliments from your friends on your pink angel wings.

For some reason, you can totally get away with wearing pink angel wings to church.

As for Kindergarten, may not so much.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: You’re Growing Closer to My Size Now

10 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

As you’re now nearing your 11th birthday, Mommy and I have been noticing that you are noticeably getting bigger. For example, your new school shoes for 5th grade are a size 6; compared to my size, which is 9.5.

This past weekend when our family visited Walden Farm, as our tradition is to do each Fall, you stood against a height chart that shows you are getting closer to that 5 foot mark.

These days, I offer my old t-shirts to you first before I give them away, so you can use them as “sleep shirts”.

But before too long, you’ll be able to wear them outside of the house!

Love,

Daddy