Dad?….Dad?……DAD?

Have your ever heard those words over and over again from one of your kiddos? Most of the time I’m right in the middle of doing something – driving, editing photos, talking to Val, etc – and one of the kids will inevitably try to get my attention to ask me something! If you’re in the right mood, it can be REALLY annoying! But it got me thinking (yeah, I know, it’s hard to get this wheelhouse turning, but it happens) about kids and questions. If every time Ben or Corbynn asks an “annoying” question – I act like I have “better things to do” than answer it – why would I expect that when they get a little older, and they have a question about sex, or drugs, or some topic that I WANT them to ask me about – they will?! Will they think that dad “doesn’t care”, or “doesn’t have time” to help answer and guide, and pray with them about the tough issues in life? I think when the kids are little, and family life is nutty, and everything’s going on at once, I have the tendency to parent in a “get through the day” way, instead of stepping back, and remembering that God has given me this little creature (lol) – not to just barely scrape by with my sanity each day, but to help shape, and guide him/her into a Godly, honest, respectful, caring person! So the next time you hear that “hey dad!?” coming from one of your kiddos while you’re just getting into a great article on the front of the Sports Page, remember to see the big picture. Even if he just wants you to put the track back on his bulldozer.