5 Things

My kids are growing at a rate that seems to be faster than the speed of light, and this realization has got me thinking about what being a dad has been like for me.

Every dad wants to look back on his life, and with a sparkle in his eye and the flash of a perfectly white smile say' "Wow, I was some awesome dad.  Look at all the things my kids have learned from me." 

Unfortunately, for me, what I realized was, "Wow, what amazing kids I have.  Look what they've taught me."

This surprises me.  You see; I was a horrible child.  I don't know how my parents let me survive past 3 or 4.  I got into things that my parents could never in their wildest dreams have imagined a kid could get into.

I flooded the the upstairs hallway so that my bro. and I could have a 'raging river' to float our mattress down (Grizzly Adams style).

I snuck into my elderly neighbor's house and cut all of her electrical cords.

I painted my previously mentioned younger brother with my mom's acrylic paints and set him loose on her new white carpet.

I started fires in the closet, I peed on my older brothers' clothes (sorry Dan.  Hehehe.)

Yes, my parents survived mostly sane (I mean 6 boys? come on, who could be TOTALLY sane after that?)

So you can see my relief at my own seeming good luck with my  kids.  I thought payback city was coming.

Giddy with the realization that somehow I had been blessed with two amazing children I wrote down the first five things that I have learned from each of them.  Here goes:

5 things I've learned from my daughter

1. A silly dad is like a favorite old stuffed animal, every girl that has one loves it.  Even if she won't admit it.

2. Hugs won't cure everything, but they're a great start.

3. Food is the way to a girl's heart too.

4. Crying means,'I don't have the words to express what I'm feeling. Now give me a hug, or leave me the heck alone'.

5. A girl only stays Daddy's Angel if you take the time to tuck her in every night.

5 things I've learned from my son

1. To wrestle=to love.

2. Every dad starts out a superstar.  What happens from there is up to you.

3. There are things a boy should ONLY learn from his dad.

4. There are things a dad should ONLY learn with his boy.

5. No matter how great a dad you are you'll NEVER be Mom.

I know, I know.  This life of dreamy parental bliss won't last forever, but it's certainly been enjoyable so far.

There are surely things I'm too  dull to see, or have left out.  I would love to hear some of the things anyone else has learned from their kids.

Let me know.