It hit me yesterday as you were standing in the backyard with your hands on your hips making a mental to do list. Just inches behind you, he stood like a tiny replica of you...hands on his hips staring at the backyard ready to move the minute you moved. There he stood imitating your every move. While you used a heavy metal shovel, he used a tiny plastic shovel. When you stomped on massive chunks of soil, he stomped on tiny chunks of soil.
There he stood...3 feet tall looking up at you, two times his size.
There are things only you will be able to teach him.
I'm not talking about the hard stuff...like how to fix down spouts, a car or a broken toilet. You will teach him those things too, but you will show him how to treat people. You will show him how to help a neighbor in need or a homeless man who hasn't eaten in days. You will teach him how to see outside of himself. You will show him the value of family and the definition of hard work. You will teach him not to take life too seriously, but how to act serious in serious moments. You will show him how to remain calm in un-calm moments. You will pass on your love for books and learning...always learning. You will teach him how to say "thank you", "I love you" and "I appreciate you" to his future wife.
You will teach him these things not because you read a book on how to be a good father, but because you try every single day to be a good father. And you succeed. You will teach him these things because you put the phone down and pick him up and hug him and tickle him and tell him you love him. You will teach him these things because you read to him and rock him and tell him you love him every single day.
There are things only you will be able to teach him.
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