When my son was born back in 2002 he was born 2 months early. My wife thought she was having Braxton Hicks but instead she was going into labor. She ended up staying at the hospital and in bed rest for 6 days straight. The concern was that my son would be born without the ability to breath. His lungs were not developed yet and as you can imagine it was quite a scare.

Every day at around 4:00 PM my wife would go in into labor and the nurses would rush in and give her some medicine that would make her feel terrible but would work and the baby would stay in her giving us more time to get the lungs developed as they should. On the 6th day again around the same time the baby decided it was time to come out and as soon as he was born we heard the cutest yelp you have heard, there were 4 or 5 special doctors in the room and several nurses , more than usual that were also present. However, he came out and was breathing on his own. Born at 32 weeks and although he did have to go into the NICU for 3 weeks due to him unable to feed without a tube, he was relatively healthy.

My wife never left his bedside with the exception of non-visiting hours for the entire 3 weeks, I came at lunch and after work to see my new son born 4lbs 10oz. He was the tiniest thing I had ever seen.

He is going to be seven in a few weeks and is a healthy boy. I wrestle with him, play ball, and he has no health issues what so ever. I thank the Lord everyday for giving him to me and how special he is to my wife and I.

To all you dads out there just give your kids a hug and tell them that you love them. Take time out and just let them know they are truly the joy in your life.

There is one thing I just love about being a Nerd and that is, that my children approve. It is so much fun playing video games, Star Wars, and yes, Barbies. There is one problem however, and that is that my daughter when playing Barbies she makes the rules and I usually have to sit in the corner and I am not allowed to do anything except watch and only interact when told. I must say though, that I enjoy letting her boss me around so she feels empowered and it is her time and her game.When I play Star Wars or the likes with my son we just act like Jedi’s and make stuff blow up most of the time. I always tease him by calling my my “young padawan” (if you do not know what a padawan go here).

The point of me writing this is to make you understand the importance to being a good parent and role model for our kids. We all need to take the time out of our busy schedules and just make ourselves available to our children. As I have stated before my purpose is being a dad and a husband. Yes, I have a career and would love to move up the corporate ladder and yes, I have aspirations of learning new things (especially techie stuff), I mean who doesn’t? Don’t get me wrong there are times when I come home from a long 10 hour day and the last thing I want to do is deal with kids or the wife other than your basic hello etc. However, I make it a point to spend at least 15 minutes with each kid individually or together to let them know how important they are to me and my wife. Only about 13 years I get to mold them into the men and women that they should be. After that they start looking more to their piers.

I have a 7 year old boy, 5 year old girl, and a 9 month old boy and before I know it they will be gone. Now is the time you have to be a part of their lives. Now is the time when they look to you for love and comfort. Now is the time that you as a parent need to help them with their cuts, bruises, and guarding their heart from harm.

Remember all the things you yearned your parents to do and do them, fill the gaps where they left off, become the best parent you can be. Love your kids and do for them everything you can. Be a nerd for your kids and get down on your hands an knees to let them know they are the most precious thing in your life.

My dad just recently retired and although he does not work for a “company” per say he still is doing the same thing for various plants as a contractor. Because he knew he would take on these new ventures it was in his best interest to find the most cost effective way to save money, so he decided to go ahead and by a 5th wheel. This would be costly but because he was going to be on the road it would definitely be more cost effective in the long run, also because it is considered a 2nd home he would get a tax deduction.
Before, he started his first job, he decided that he was going to come and visit us for about 3 weeks and we were very excited because my dad and I are very close and of course my wife and kids just adore him as well. He was going to bring the “five” that is a whole other story within itself why it is called the “five.” Anyway, when my dad finally arrived and got his 5th wheel hooked up and ready to go he asked if 2 of my older children Logan and Emily could stay with him. At this time Emily was 5 and Logan was 6 (they are 18 months apart). Of course the kids were excited that not only were they going to be with their Papa, but that they were also going to stay in the “five.”
Papa, decided to take them on the woods nearby where they were staying just to get them out and about and have a little adventure, quickly as they walked down the path they found an old looking wooden pallet and my son Logan immediately decided that it was a Pirate’s Raft and that they were now Pirates (Ninja’s beware). As they continued down the trail they created a whole slew of ideas and their imaginations were ramped and they were just having a grand old time. The premise they came up with is based around them being pirates and seeking treasure, they found ‘X” marks the spot and various other things along the way. When they got back to the “five” they continued with their tall tales and swapping of sea stories. Papa was the mediator for the most part but allowed Logan and Emily to fill in the blanks and point the story in any direction they wanted to go.
The story led down to the point of them stealing a rabbit off of some other Pirate’s camp and they brought it back to their camp to cook it and eat it. While they were preparing dinner the Pirate’s that they stole it from and Papa asked Logan what one of their names were and Logan said that the one Pirate’s name was “One Eye” and he was a tough looking guy. Papa then proceeded to ask Emily what the other Pirate’s name was and she thought for s second and she said his name was “Two Eye.” Papa said that he laughed so hard it took a little while to catch his breath.
I love how kids are so honest and creative. This weekend is the 4th of July, I challenge you to take the time to spend just talking with them and allow them to come up with stories that will probably surprise you on how imaginative they really are. Turn the TV off, Video games and just be with them. It goes so fast and the moments will be gone, so enjoy them, I promise it will fill your love tank.