Of Fatherhood
first wedding last week-
end, and it was fairly un-
eventful just as we
hoped it would be.
wedding, we were fret-
son, 3, would handle being ring
bearers. We were unsure if each
kid would walk the aisle by himself,
if they would walk together, if
Beckett would prefer to somersault
his way down or if I would need to
walk with them.
walk alone followed by Carson,
who we hoped would walk alone
but figured might need a helping
hand of encouragement.
hand, confirming I would be usher-
ing him down the aisle, and Beck-
ett seemed to get a last-minute
bout of nerves as well. He took one
step and immediately turned a-
round and latched on to my other
hand.
a pillow with a fake ring attached.
Aunt Jill was smart to know putting
the actual rings on the pillows
might not work out so well with two
young kids.
ting each other atop the head with
the pillows. When they weren't
smacking each other around, they
were throwing them and dragging
them along the ground.
duties. The hardest part ended up
being trying to keep their shirts
tucked in prior to the wedding and
keeping them tame while we wait-
ed for it to begin.
aisle, I was so rattled and flustered
by trying to contain them in our
seats that when it came time for
the rings to be handed to the pas-
ring box, rather than taking the
rings out and handing them to him.
responsibilities.
ments are a wonderful
thing, and I don't take
them for granted.
ments in this parenting
when we actually feel like we might
be doing something right by our
kids.
thought I would share several mo-
ments of late that had me beaming
with pride.
to walk in school by himself. He
told me this week, "it's because
next year I'm going to be a lunch
kid, and I need to be more inde-
pendent."
him walk in school he would turn
and give us an enthusiastic wave
before heading in to his classroom,
which is directly inside the door.
dropped him off. He simply gave
me a kiss and a hug and turned
toward school. I kept waiting and
waiting for him to look back, but he
just went right on to school. While I
admit to being a little bit nostalgic
about it, I was so proud of him for
several reasons, including the fact
he wants to go to school and he
wants to be independent.
school as well.
going to school for the first time,
and he had a bit of a transition, but
I assume that's normal for all kids
starting out in school, particularly
for a 3-year-old.
then walk him down a long hall to
his classroom. Recently, she be-
gan letting him walk down the hall
by himself, which was startling to
us.
been telling me how emotional she
got watching him walk slowly by
himself with his book bag on wav-
ing to other students and teachers
as he went.
the proudest moments I can recall
as a parent. He moseyed on down
the hall without a care in the world
and never looked back. He knew
exactly where he was going and
was not troubled by the fact he was
by himself.
moments when I was thankful I had
sunglasses on to shield my emo-
tions.
some time now.
or I kneeling down next to his bed
and praying with him. While he
may not be speaking yet, he clear-
ly puts his hands together and lis-
tens intently during prayer time. He
doesn't say it entirely, but he al-
ways ends it with a sound similar to
"Amen."
eat dinner together. Due to the cha-
otic nature of life at home, we all
started eating at the same time ex-
cept for Carson, who was crying
and shaking his head furiously with
his hands together in prayer fash-
ion. He was the first to realize we
had forgotten something.
examines their transition into parenthood and
all that goes along with it. E-mail any
thoughts to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com.)
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