Helpin' Dad

Jon brought home a half broken wheel barrow from the metal recyclers a few weeks back and fixed it up a bit to get it "running" again. As soon as Asher saw the screwdrivers and hammers come out he HAD to be helping. Both of my boys seem happiest when they have something to hammer on! I really love how much this little boy looks up to his Dad and how much he loves to be involved in ANYTHING Jon is doing-- especially if it involves tools.

Lately Asher has been going through a real "daddy phase" and wants to be with his Dad and doing what his Dad is doing ALL the time. As I was watching them work the other day I realized that Asher is learning from Jon, even at this young age, what it means to be a man and how to be one. His character, his identity, and his perception of manhood are already being shaped and molded by how he sees his parents interact and by what his Dad does. As I thought about this I realized how INCREDIBLY grateful I am to have such a wonderful man for a husband and to father my children. It gives me such peace to know that if Asher grew to be exactly like his Dad, I would be PERFECTLY happy. In fact, I've decided that now I have one important question to ask any young woman (probably just my little sisters-- so listen up!) thinking about marriage-- Would you be happy if your sons turned out to be EXACTLY like your potential marriage partner? Because the chances are that they will be a lot like their dad, (but probably better because each generation seems to improve in some way). I think that if you can answer "yes" to this question then you know you are marrying a good man, with a good heart-- even if he does have SOME annoying habits (which hopefully won't get passed on :). I know that BOTH mothers and fathers have a huge impact on the development of children's perceptions of manhood and womanhood, but there is something VERY important about the relationship that boy has with his father and that a girl has with her mother that helps shape what type of man or woman they are going to become. This doesn't mean that boys with good dads will always be good men or that boys with bad dads (or no dads) will always be bad men, but I do believe that having a father (or another strong male figure) who is a good role model makes a BIG difference in what type of man a boy turns out to be. As a woman and a mother I am so grateful that there are SO MANY wonderful men out there who really do a wonderful job of teaching little boys how to be good men. I feel even more grateful that I happen to be married to one, and that my little boy has a good role model to look up to.

Now I guess the pressure is on me now to be an example of womanhood to this little girl who is coming in September! Yikes!