I'll start with my own father. He is known as Bampa to his grandkids, and let me tell you that he loves and adores his grandkids as much as they adore him. My kids get so much love and acceptance from him. There aren't many people that will give your children complete acceptance of who they are, but Bampa is one of these rare people.
There are a lot of men that do well with children, but just not babies. Bampa is not this way. He has always been willing and excited to hold his grandbabies. So much so that there have been a few grandbabies that preferred him to hold them rather than their own mother. I only wish that we lived closer so that my babies would get to experience that. Regardless, even with so much distance between us, my kids still feel a special connection to Bampa and are more than excited when we mention that Bampa is coming.
My dad is a creature of habit. When he finds something he likes, he will continue doing or buying that thing. For example, I could go into a Walmart and pick out what clothes my dad probably has for that is where he buys his clothes and all of his clothes look the same. In fact, Mikey asked him one day why he always wears the same blue shirt. I have never known my dad to get offended, and with Mikey's comment it was the same. He actually thought it was hilarious that Mikey would be so attentive to what Bampa was wearing.
My dad, being a creature of habit, has also started a tradition with my children. My dad likes to have special activities he does with his loved ones. With my sisters he plays a game called "20 in 20". Here they go to Walmart (where he will pick up more shirts and slacks) and he will give them 20 dollars to spend in 20 minutes. I've been able to play it a few times (it's a game they started after I had moved away) and it is quite fun. With my boys, my dad has made a tradition of taking them to Chuckee Cheese. My boys had never been to Chuckee Cheese until two years ago we were in San Diego for Lyndee's wedding. We were riding home with Bampa and he thought that we should go there. Well, we were all very happy to see how enthusiastic the boys were about Chuckee Cheese. It was the first time my boys had even seen video games and such, so they were just as happy to play the demo modes on the games as they were to use the coins to play the games. Now whenever my dad visits, we schedule at least one evening to be spent at Chuckee Cheese. One time when we walked into Chuckee Cheese at dinnertime, Todd jokingly pointed out that it didn't close until 10 PM so we had hours where we could sit in a booth and minimally supervise the kids. We actually left closer to closing time than we ever imagined for the kids had a great time, we got to interact with them, yet we got to spend most of the time sitting in the booth talking.
Though my dad is very fun-loving and humorous, he is also very thoughtful. When we had Mikey's baptism we had a full house. My dad, being a rather tall and bigger man, was assigned to a bed and I was planning on sleeping on the futon in the basement. Understanding that I was about 8 months pregnant, my dad offered to switch beds with me even though we all knew that doing so would cause him great discomfort.
My dad sees and understands people. Growing up he understood me and what would motivate me. Even now he understands that I am a very independent person with ideas that he may not agree with, but he respects. When I first started homeschooling I knew that he wasn't a huge fan, mostly because he was concerned that it may be too much for me, but he never discouraged me from it. Now that he has seen me do it for awhile and the effects of it, he has become a lot more supportive and has even sent the boys some cool school supplies.
I really love my dad and am grateful for all his love and help he has given me.
I also am grateful for the father of my children.
Todd is such a wonderful man. Honestly, I didn't know how wonderful he was when I was marrying him---if so I would have married him quicker. He makes life so enjoyable and easier. I love to just talk to him for he will have the funniest things to say and yet in the same conversation we can talk about some deep and serious things. He is very attentive and sensitive to how I and others are feeling.
My biggest complaint about Todd is that I don't get to see him enough. Between work/school, church, and other service he gives to others he is really quite busy and gone a lot, but he never makes the people he's serving or spending time with feel as though he is short on time nor energy. I have had many people ask how I deal with being a mom of 4 young children with my husband gone so frequently. The truth is that the only way I've been able to survive is the fact that when Todd is home, he is home. He never hides out from us, nor does he "unwind" doing something that doesn't include being with us. He give the kids lots of attention, gives me even more attention, and helps clean whenever and whatever he can. Todd is incredibly helpful both physically and emotionally.
Todd treats the boys as though they are his friends. He will take one or two with him if he has to run an errand. He will talk to them as though they were all teenage boys talking and playing around. Though he treats them like friends, he still maintains his parenting role. He will not allow them to disobey or speak rudely to me without receiving a consequence.
Todd is a great spiritual leader in our home. Todd loves the Lord and we can all sense that. He strives to teach the boys more about Christ and how to live and I love it.
Todd is such a great man and I am so grateful to have him in my life.
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