Mike took the day off of work to recover from our recent trip and just for some much needed R&R. I left him home with Gideon this morning when I went running, and then again this afternoon while I ran errands and got Caleb from school. Gideon has always been a Daddy fan, but today, he morphed from just a fan to Daddy's biggest fan. When Mike left to run an errand of his own Gid followed him to the garage and then stood crying for 2 solid minutes until he realized he wasn't coming back. As soon as Mike returned home, Gideon ran up to him and hugged him huge! He then preceded to follow him all around the house (even into the bathroom!). Everywhere Mike went, Gideon followed. This continued all afternoon, and it was beautiful to watch. Mike never got frustrated or annoyed with him, but just really soaked it up. We sat out on the deck watching him watching his Daddy and trying to be like him.
Right here in front of us was the awesomeness of our responsibilities as parents. Children imitate what they see. Not only as toddlers, but as boys, young men, and to an extent even as adults. Already Gideon is following the example of his Daddy. My Dad used to tell us, "Do as I say, not as I do." And even though we want our children to listen to us, they also see what we do and that speaks volumes. Right now, Mike's actions are louder to Gideon than his words. And as I sat and watched him today with his Daddy I was so grateful for them both. Grateful that my husband is such a wonderful father to our children. Having that perfect balance of discipline and fun. And grateful for this little boy who will very soon not be so little. Everything is a discovery to him and I am so joyful watching him grow.
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