Responsible Father

Ten years ago this weekend (the last weekend in April) the Twin Cites had a blizzard. I’m on record as saying that I am the insane type of person who likes that kind of late snow storm, but this was had snow heavy enough to knock down power lines, and some time during that weekend we lost power.

I should also mention that at some time that weekend Debbie went into labor.

Sunday morning we still didn’t have power, but our friends Chris and Nina invited us and our three boys over for Sunday dinner (Roast Beef!) and Debbie remembers sitting at the table and cringing every fifteen minutes when the next contraction hit.

And the next day, Adelyn Rose was born!

Our first girl. So Debbie made dresses. And the boys like to hold her. And she gave us joy.

And now she is ten! She still gives us joy.

Let me tell you three things about her.

1. She still likes wearing dresses. She is almost never seen not wearing one.

2. She likes setting a table. Whereas most of our kids like to be surprised by a table all set and made fancy for the birthday meal, it was her joy this weekend to stay up late to make the table exactly like she wanted it.

3. She was pretty much in heaven at the Father Daughter Tea last weekend. Roses, royalty, dressing up, elegant dining, focused attention from her dad, wearing white gloves. Yes, how could it get any better?

Oh and also –

4. She likes small things, even if they are  snakes. Please see the corresponding picture.

Adelyn is loved by her parents, her siblings, her friends and her heavenly father. On her birthday, I prayed that this year she will be drawn closer to God.

May He grant that it be so.

Dads, Daylight Savings begins on Sunday morning, but you can make moving the clock forward a little easier by changing them Friday night.

This makes the change a little less abrupt and makes Friday, not Saturday, the short night. Getting up Sunday morning will be easier.

Dads, you know that chronic sin that you see in your child? There may be a real, non-sinful need that is not being met for this child which is a cause of the sinful behavior.

While it is true that you should deal with your child’s sin, you should also try to discover the non-sinful need and see if you can meet it.

Dads, if you want to help your son or daughter learn how to read, go to the bookstore with them and find a book that they are very interested in reading. And then have them read that to you. If it has words that are too big for him or her, just read them for your child.