She is going to turn out well (maybe even very well).
First of all, my wife and I are going to stay married. (blah blah blah, you can say what you need to about the whats, ifs and buts but we are going to stay married). That's just how it works in our minds. This is probably the number one reason our children will turn out alright. And, just to get a little provocative, the reason this will work is because our children will be number two in our lives. Number one is my wife, number two wife, and number zero (that's ahead of one) is the Lord. Yeah that line gets blurred base on situations, but there needs to be a line. My wife and I agree on this line.
And we still go on date nights and they are good. Even when my wife wears a (cool) ghetto hat, while making a face at pink shoes:
I am fortunate that I can be home so much. Working a job from 7-3 is a beautiful thing. It is intentional that I do not work until 430 (I think my wife would lose her mind if I did) like some teachers do because I genuinely want to get home and be there to see my daughter grow. I go in early so I can be home early. Summers off help as well. Definitely a beautiful thing. My wife being home with our child (soon to be plural) is amazing.
So the flip side of this is not being home/present. There are dads who just work too much or are home and just want to be home, not dealing with their kids--we all wrestle with that of course. But in the end it takes a bit of action. I guess I may actually be getting a little older because I can easily do this thing called "reflecting". Stay with me on the next one as my goal is not to be judgmental and there are many exceptions to this.
After hearing stories as well as looking at lives on facebook of cousins, friends, etc, who may not have "turned out" the way I thought they would: “Bring your child up in the ways of the Lord and they shall not depart." Maybe they have not departed or are still finding their way because that often is the case, but it is almost always clear to me as to why (again there are many exceptions to this). It often seems to be due to a lack of a male role in their lives. Now women rarely get picked on because they just naturally have that intuition due to many things, probably carrying around the child for 9 months and then all that milk stuff for the most part that helps them not be absent like father's can be. But an absent father who was not there altogether or just to busy in work and life (maybe even good things) is brutally detrimental to a child's development. Often involved in "good" things. The act of just being there is difficult especially for those busy minded people. That is a scary thought. I am busy minded and this is constantly a battle.
But my goal is to be here. With my wife. Our children are going to be better than just alright.
Speaking of being present, my daughter just typed this: "/lko;,l;lmml". Time to go.
One last thing, I do not know how to deal with this: "oooooo" as she is handed a new pair shoes.
