Dear Scott,
Twelve years have passed since we brought Kiana into this world. Twelve years wouldn’t be considered beginner’s luck anymore, but I still feel like we are novices and we are still learning how to be parents. I wanted to thank you for being such a wonderful father.
I am so appreciative of our lessons learned through this journey. Here’s only a few……
- It’s okay to sound like our parents. We swore we wouldn’t be like our parents when we were kids, but we are reciting lines to ours like “I am the mom, and you have to do it because I say so.” We both know that we want the best for her as did our parents for us.
- It takes two of us big people to take care of the little person. As long as we both communicate with each other, we can collectively bring up a happy and confident child. She has always observed our behaviors, and we can see some of our “skills” in her personality. We have set the expectations of the best grades, to honor commitments to our friends and family, and follow through with our responsibilities. The three of us are on the same winning side so we have to stick with our plan together.
- You have to be firm, but flexible. We want only the best for our daughter, but we also want to ensure she is not an entitled child with little to no responsibilities. If she does well in school, you remind me that she has fulfilled her responsibilities so she should be able to go out on a school night as a treat. We have learned that if we are too flexible, she will take us to the cleaners.
- It’s about life experiences, and encouraging her to dream big. While I would never agree to buy anything at the M&M store, you agreed to buy her whatever she wanted in London so it would be a memory for her. I also never would buy that photo that they take at the tourist places, yet you bought the premium package (keychains and all) at the London Eye, Atlantis in the Bahamas, and the luau in Maui. All of these items (except for the M&Ms) are still displayed in her room. You also said to me when I complained about the cost of all the Stanford shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and accessories that if she believes she is going to attend college there, why should we shut that down? You are absolutely right.
I am so proud to be your wife, and the mother of your daughter. I believe that we are bringing up an amazing kid who is learning how to be an independent, sharp, and ambitious contributor to our society. I look forward to watching our daughter evolve into a strong person. It is with your love and dedication that our family remains solid.
Happy Father’s Day!