40 reasons to have a child

Okay, so I highlighted posts by Karen and Sarah in response to the 40 reasons not to have kids. Well, I figure we should have 40 reasons to have another child from a dad's perspective

1. I don't know why they say grown men don't cry.
2. Children are much more fun much longer than any new cell phone or Ipod.
3. Put that geekiness to use, have a daughter and teach her how to use that GPS so you can GeoCache together.
4. A small voice in the middle of the night, "Daddy, I'm scared."
5. You always remember the first time that 1 month old fall asleep on your chest.
6. Have you ever seen a smile that will break your heart? You Will.
7. A kiss is a terrible thing to waste.
8. When you are carrying a baby, you always have an excuse out of any awkward social setting.
9. Candy Land; Chutes and Ladders, need I say more?
10. Someone to mow the lawn with you.
11. 7 minutes old, they will try to get your glasses but already have your heart.
12. Late night television is much better while holding an almost asleep infant.
13. You change their diapers today; you will have someone to change yours in twenty-forty years.
14. No better gift than someone to stand by them than a sibling for your kids.
15. The first time you see your newborn child is thirty times more intense than your first love.
16. The pitter patter of your child’s steps when you come home from work will brighten your day.
17. Really tight and snug bear hugs.
18. Someone that wants to hear all those exciting stories of your childhood over and over again.
19. Learning to love was never this much fun before.
20. Nothing quite like having someone that truly believes you can pull a quarter out of their ear.
21. The enjoyment of having someone steal your nose.
22. The ability to kiss a bobo and make it all better.
23. Because you love their smile when they beat you in a race or any game for that matter.
24. The feeling of them clinging to you the first time a pet or someone they love dies.
25. From the mouth of babes come truths that are beyond their years.
26. Milk and Oreo tea parties.
27. Licking the bowl while the cookies are in the oven is more fun when its shared.
28. They are cuter covered in mud than your dog is covered in mud.
29. Better than a cat, plus no litter box.
30. Immortal soul = Eternal relationship.
31. Become closer to God, create something with him.
32. The only thing more beautiful than your pregnant wife is when she is holding your new child for the first time.
33. You like pickles and when your wife is pregnant you will have a good excuse to go get some in the middle of the night.
34. Teaching a child to mow is a very rewarding experience.
35. Playing patty-cake with an 11-month old never gets old.
36. Perfect reason to pop popcorn and watch a favorite classic childhood movie.
37. Children know you are invincible and you have the privilege of wrestling the monsters out of their room.
38. Butterfly kisses.
39. The perfect reason to get out some coloring books, crayons and have fun.
40. The realization that fulfillment in life is found in living it for someone else is priceless, so is the value of your child’s immortal soul.

********************update********************

In an effort to increase the visibility of the positive, I am trying to add links here to other posts higlighting this, just to increase authorities and popularities on blog search sights if we all do this it will help.

Domestic-Vocation

The BookwormMontessori for Everyone (who has 75 reasons!!!)

Catholic Wife and Mother

The Bookworm

My thoughtful Daughter

IMG_3621
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/mattsauer/

So, last night I had to work a 4 hour OT shift at work (until 0300) and I called home to let my wife know that I wouldn't be walking through the door about 2310 that night. My oldest daughter answered the phone and we had a wonderful conversation about her day and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she was making choclate pudding and that is one of my favorite desserts. My daughter politely informed me that she was going to be saving a serving for me. As I got home I peeked in the fridge and my pudding was waiting for me, but I was so tired that I ended up going straight to bed. I know that my favorite dessert is waiting for me after lunch and my daughter loves me. Thank you Mary Beth, I love you sweet daughter.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S

Sacrifice:Gain or Gift?

H/T: Catholic Fire

I was talking to my wife today about sacrifice and why we do . Do we do it for some type of gain, like work so we can earn money for food for our family? We have a certain expectation in that situation, a contract with our employer. What about sacrifice for our family?

One of the pitfalls that we can run into is seeing ourself as a martyr, feeling that we are owed behaviors or other things based on what we have given. The problem is that martyrdom depends on someone coming and asking you to deny the faith and you refusing, not just you working yourself to the bone. No, sacrifice for our family must be gift, that can mean martyrdom, but we have a tall example.

This is a song that I have heard my wife sing before, I like her beautiful voice, but this is a wonderful video to go with it.

Under the Mercy,
Matthew S




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Crossroads

Fatherhood is a journey that has many pitfalls. One of the biggest dangers is resentment over having to change the way one has to live life. As a father you are still in charge but you are no longer in control.

In my house we currently have six wills trying to make it through the day and I only have control over one of them. The other five wills intersect mine repeatedly, from wanting to snuggle and read a book to crashing headlong into mine over chores.

I have come to realize the as a father, and it holds true at some level for mothers, that each interaction with my children is a crossroads in my life and in my relationship with them.

Jesus spoke of roads and how we must travel. As the Word in the Old Testament we see rules for journies and as the Savior in the New Testament we see Him sending people out on roads to spread His message. He spoke of the easy road, the well traveled road and its counterpart, the road less traveled.

The choice between those two roads is the choice I face with every crossroads in my life. Fortunately, He is the way, the Truth and the Life, He set out on journies and it is thus that we have Him as an example.

As a father I am to represent God to my children in how I lead them down the road and in how I interact when I come to a crossroads. It is my hope that even when they are discouraged from failures that I can show them many things about God's plan and as I share myself with them sacrificially that their eyes may be opened to Christ through me, much like Christ did with His disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S.

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I don't want to be a bully anymore (and other rambling)

Okay, so my wife is a great source of inspiration that draws me outside of myself. This is why she is my dearling. I should probably tell that story so that all of you can come to know a hidden gem of a story; it’s a tale of love, faith and how the two work together. Anyway, off to my current point of inspiration, discipline and children.

We went out to eat last night and got on the subject of our tempers, how kids react to us, and how early they need to be educated. My wife is currently reading a book entitled, The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Dr. Ray and Dorothy Moore. The Moore’s are advocates of a late start to formal education. They also talk about how the first ten to eleven years are extremely important for a child.

They talk about how a child’s values are formed in the first ten to eleven years and their full understandings of things come to the front and are cemented about the age of eleven. In other words, a child may not fully comprehend obedience to mother and father until about that age and their core values are basically set about that time. Up until the age of eleven the location the child spends time is what sets their values and social behaviors. I keep returning to the question of who is going to teach my children their values and how to behave. Do I want a bunch of eight year olds who watch Pokemon and go to sleep listening to their parents watch Sex in the City and The Sopranos, teaching my kids how to act? Do I want eight year olds I know little about expressing values I know nothing about to my kids?

These are the fears that I struggle with. I also don’t want to feel like I am condemning the lifestyle I was raised in or say the other families that aren’t just like me are wrong. I just feel, after prayer and meditation, that I have a much higher and harder tasks than prior generations in my family tree (technology, enough said for now, that is another oddity of a rant) have had in the task of parenting. Also, as someone who works in emergency services I have a slightly skewed reality of the world as I see more of the bad that happens. I just feel that I have to protect my daughters; I want the best for them in this world.

Anyway, as to discipline, I feel that (and I am guilty of this as well) most of what we do with discipline isn’t a good model of God. Personally I have struggled with not working on promoting good behavior enough. Instead, I have often looked at punishment as a way of promoting good behavior and have tried to punish my children into behaving correctly. In reality, punishment is rendering a debt for a transgression that has occurred. We should be giving small aids, gifts of ourselves (Grace), to help our children grow in virtue and discipline. Instead of trying to BULLY my child into behavior through increasing punishments (however, JUST punishment are very important) I need to punish them for transgressions and give them part of myself, working with, directing or rewarding them to help move them in the direction of behaving and doing chores with a proper attitude. I need to give more of myself, exhibit more of Christ’s love to them.

As a parent I shouldn't try to bully my child into behaving.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S


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