This Guy.

I want to brag on this guy for a minute and write a few things down while they're still fresh on my mind... for my sake and for the sake of my kids. I want them to know how much I appreciate their dad and the example he is setting for them. I'm a lucky wife and my boys - they are lucky little boys.

This evening we went about our normal routine of putting out little boys to bed and after the house was quiet we sat down on the couch to chat about our day as we typically do. I told Jared how Jordan has been unusually sweet to me these past few days; he just smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear that". So I probed to find out what the smile was all about and why he seemed to know something about my little boy's attitude change. It's true: my little boy (who really isn't so little anymore) has started questioning everything I do as a mom and wants to be treated like an adult. He's 8. He thinks he's 20. Oh my...

As of late I have to remind him that he'll get sick if he wears nothing but a T-shirt in a snowstorm. And if he has nothing but chocolate milk all day long he'll get a tummy-ache. And if he doesn't do his homework he won't be in the homework club at school. And he really can't stay up past 10:00 because he'll be so tired the next day if his body doesn't get enough rest. And so on and so on. There was one day about a week ago that he put on his backpack and headed for the door and I said, "I love you buddy", and for the first time in my life he walked right out the door without saying "love you mom" right back. And that broke my heart. I just thought, "Who is this kid and where did my little boy go?"

A few nights prior I was telling Jared about my day and what was going on with Jordan and how I'm not ready for this. I want my kids to stay small and sweet; I'm not ready for these kids to start acting this way. He didn't say much but he just said he'd have a little talk with Jordan.

 

And so he did. On their way to basketball practice Jared asked Jordan what was going on; what did he do to make his mom cry. Jordan idolizes his dad and so anything Jared says he takes to heart. He told Jordan that mom is his wife and his princess, and in the adult world he wouldn't tolerate anyone disrespecting his princess. The same rules apply in our home, if anyone disrespects mom they'd have to deal with dad.. and my boys all love and respect their dad more than anything. I'm not sure what else was said in that short span of time from our home to basketball practice, but I do know that they talked about life and love and how one day he'll have a sweetheart and he should treat her the same way: like a princess. And whatever he said changed Jordan's attitude; for now anyway.

 I pulled out a journal entry from years ago, I think I was 19. I was in the midst of a lot of chaos and big decisions staring at me that would impact my life forever. I decided to move away from Texas and start a new life here in Utah. I wrote down a lot of my core beliefs and life goals. At the top of my list I described the kind of wife and mother I wanted to become, and the type of person I'd hope to marry. The type of person I'd want to share my life with and raise my kids with; I'd have to say that Jared embodies every characteristic of the person I wanted to be with forever.

This husband of mine loves and respects me and teaches my kids by example. He's the best dad. And because my boys adore him like no other, I know that when he talks to them they listen. He loves that I spend my days chasing these kids around. He has always been so respectful and appreciative of all that I do and tells my kids that they have the best mom. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for his love toward me, the example that he's setting for my kids, and that I know that no matter what life throws our way he's on my side. This guy... is the best thing that's ever happened to me.