My Dad always pretended to play the drums on his steering wheel when we would drive. He would play his music really loud, as in even as a teenager I thought it was really loud. And then he would sing to me, and smile........which meant "I like you."
This week he called to talk to me about an idea I've been throwing around. He called to say that he thought I could do it......which meant "I believe in you."
He told me a funny story, he told me that me missed me, he asked me how my kids were doing.........which meant "I love you."
I love him too.
He told me to tell Ben hi. He really likes Ben, he always has........which means Ben's a good guy.
And he really is. Parenting for me is like one of those intense projects at school where you know the only reason you will do ok is because you just happened to be paired up with the smartest kid in class, the one who knows what he's doing, the one who you know can't fail. Ben is like that. He's good at being a father, what's more he loves it. It's a pretty good gig to sit next to him and put my name on his paper. This weekend I happened to mention in passing that the kids don't listen very well. I said this like a statement, you know "oh well, we just got the kind of kids that don't listen well." I wasn't really expecting him to fix it, but he did. He made them Olivia bucks, and Luke bucks and Sophie bucks. He explained the system and told them that their behavior directly determined how many they could earn. And you know what they listened. Who knew.
Ben smiles at them, and talks to them and plays with them. And at the end of the day he says "man, I love them...our kids are so cute huh."
and I look up from the floor where I was just thinking "thank heavens they're in bed."
and I say "you're right, they are."
Thank heaven for men who want to be fathers.
Thank heaven for men who find joy in it.
Thank heaven for the one who raised me.
Thank heaven for the one I get to sit next too.
You better believe I'm copying off his paper.
2 comments:
Pretty sure that's illegal, but super cute! Way to go Ben! Want to make some Bella Bucks? Katie Bucks? And teach my kids? I always like to think our husbands have more patience with the kids because they are gone all day and not worn out from them yet. But, I know it's because they are just that great. I am sitting here now thinking how great it is they are in bed...and Ivan is still letting Julianna run around playing hide and seek.
This inspired me. So what's your idea huh? What are you venturing into?
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