It goes without saying that my husband, aka Captain Fun, deserves a tribute on Father's Day. It's hard to find a man who will have ten kids with you. But from the beginning, it was no secret that I wanted a brood. And from the beginning he has been on board. Children are a blessing, a gift, a reward according to Psalm 127. But some would say that children are also expensive, messy and a lot of work. Enter Captain Fun. He is, first of all, fun, which I am not. While I try and keep a sense of humor by finding the funny in life with ten kids, he really is the one who finds the fun. It's Father's Day weekend, for instance, and in the past 48 hours we have grilled out, watched two movies, been to the beach and visited the pool--twice. So many men would rather be on the golf course or out of town, away from their families, Mom Dot often says. But not Captain Fun. He is a hands on, all in Dad who tries to cram in as much fun in a short amount of time as possible. We are all certain he holds the record for it. Apart from his fun side, I love his ability to see things in our kids that they, or even I, sometimes cannot see right away. When Ben was undecided about the spring football season (a south Florida novelty), his dad suggested he revisit lacrosse. Ben emerged from his JV season as MVP and still went on to play football in late spring. He has told Matthew since he was just a little boy that he possessed strong leadership qualities. All these years later, his suspicions are confirmed. Matthew just got accepted to West Point Military Academy and reports as PLEBE on July 2. When I was unsure about putting Silas in preschool, his dad thought it would be just the right thing. He was right. Silas flourished in the school environment. I could go on and on. In fact, I think I will. Though he goes by Captain Fun around here, I know the kids would agree he doesn't shy away from discipline. He makes integrity, hard work and accountability the focus of fathering. But my favorite thing about him is the way he gathers us every night for family devotions. He takes his time--but not too much time--exploring a passage of scripture, digging into it, putting a finger on where everyone is in their spiritual journey. Yet he stays transparent about his own walk of faith, too. We talk a lot at our house about how popular the "point and laugh" trend is concerning men these days. It's not good for a man, not healthy for his psyche, I frequently remind my girls. And it is especially not good for fathers. Thank you, Captain Fun, for being the on board, all-in Dad that you are. The kids and I are all the better because you are in our lives. You're fun. You're strong. You're kind. You're smart. And you have made such a difference in our family.  The Captain and Me. |
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CategoriesFaithFamily Fan (Book Reviews) Friends Fun Fundamentals |
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