Today marks officially 6 years ago that my life as a father began. I remember holding this little one and singing the words to the Creed song “With Arms Wide Open” and praying that he “would realize that he can take this life and hold it by the hand”. I am sure I am not the first parent to have big dreams, big ideas and big wishes for my children. I am also not the first to not have a clue how best to help this miniature version of me get there. It’s been 6 years and I am still looking for that instruction manual!
One of the nicest things about our local school system is that they allow parents to come in and have lunch with their children. Being that today was a special day, I figured I would meet “the boy” with some lunch and quality time with his friends. It turned out to be a confirmation of sorts. I stood in the hallway and watched the interaction between my son and all of the other little people. I made special note of the dreamy “hi’s” of the little girls and the tough “what’s up” of the little boys. It would appear that he is fitting in just fine. There is a song by Pam Tillis that says;
“You do watcha gotta do when you know what you know. You hang on until you can’t hang on then you learn to let go. You get whatcha’ need sometimes when it’s all said and done. You do whatcha gotta do and you let that pony run”.
Watching my first child get older and gain some independence has not been easy. But we have tried to “hang on until we can’t hang on” then we “let that pony run”. From what I witnessed today, this pony is running along just fine. Happy birthday my son. Thanks for 6 years of teaching me more about myself than I have ever taught you.
