To my own father: We both loved Saturday mornings when we watched TV together…Tarzan and Ramar of the Jungle.  Walking to the little grocery store on Sunday to buy Thomas’ English muffins to have with breakfast…you always bought me a Charlotte Russe…if I close my eyes now, I can see the mound of whipped cream topped with a cherry.  Going to the park across the street with you and my best friend, Jane, and her father…eagerly running ahead to grab swings next to each other so both proud papas could push us so high, we were almost parallel with the top bar.   And bowling together as a father/daughter team when I was in college…winning the little trophy that was awarded to the highest scorers…we were both so proud!

To my husband: You were always there for all three of our children, especially when they were troubled…or in trouble.  You never scolded at those times…you supported them 100% and let them know that you loved them.  You encouraged them to follow their dreams and worked hard to provide for them.   When our oldest son was a toddler, you took a second job to supplement your teacher’s income…after working all day­; you had a hurried dinner and then worked at a convenience store till midnight.  When you had your first heart attack at age 36, our three children were all under 10 years old and I know you thought you would never live to see them grow up.  But you persevered and, even though you had your third heart attack a month before our daughter’s wedding, you flew half-way across the country so you could walk her down the aisle and give her away.   I know how proud you were then…that was in 2002…and last week you gave her son his first fishing lesson.

To my oldest son: As a SAHD, you constantly impress me with your loving yet firm approach to parenting.  Your twins are almost six years old already and you’ve supported them in their varied interests in every stage of their development.  They are bright, loving, caring and funny and a joy to be with and I am proud of the father that you are to them.

To my son-in-law: There is a lot of talk about being a “hands-on” parent…we expect it of moms…but often dads are busy with work and they don’t care to spend their spare time with their little ones.  You have been there as an equal partner raising your son…what a team you and our daughter make!  Jeremy has a wonderful role model in you…you are a wonderful father and the bond you are establishing now will last a life-time!

The past two Saturdays, I’ve met quite a few fathers…last week at the PBS Kids Fun Fest in Acacia Park and yesterday at Monument’s Summer Soul-Stice.  I’ve been really impressed with how many dads accompany their families…after all, they could be home watching a ball game or taking a nap. 🙂

Seriously though, to be in your child’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their lives today.  Dads and moms strengthen the parent-child connection when they spend “quality” time with their little ones. 

I hope you’ll visit my website and check out Show Me How!  It’s really a great book for families who are looking for things to do with their kids.

• It’s an activity book…100 simple craft projects, 100 easy recipes, 100 picture book suggestions and summaries.
• It’s a memory book…every other page has a lined area where parents can record important highlights or how a book or activity helped solve a problem the child was having.
• It’s a parenting guide…100 tips on building a positive self-image along with an hour-by-hour sample plan for your day.

You can’t get much of real value these days for $22.50…that’s a saving of 50% off the cover price.  Start your summer off with a plan of activities…the school bells will be ringing before you know it.