I have a two year old.

We are really experiencing Psalm 127:3 today!

My daughter Isella turned TWO today. Cupcakes, a train ride, friends and nieghors, butterfly tattoos, Koi Fish, park playing, and total beautiful sweetness. We are so thankful God gifted us with this little girl. She is growing up, learning so much, and helping us to become the people/parents God wants us to be. God is teaching me so much being a dad. There's nothing like being a parent to learn about the true love God intended. So many times as I am holding her, praying, and singing with her that God reminds me that his love for me (and her) is millions of times more deep, high, wide, and unconditional. Beautiful. 



Spent some time at a new fave place for us in San Mateo. The Japanese Gardens where they feed the Koi fish daily at 11am and 3pm.

I love being a dad.

Halloween Rant

So, I really have no problem with dressing up in costumes, trick or treating, carving pumpkins, and having a pumpkin pie and/or candy corn stomach-ache. I've done all of the above. I just desire to do so with reasonable discernment and read a lot of stuff that's helped me do so. 

This year my wife and I dressed like Zoo Keepers and took our little Monkey around the town with some friends.
We walked around enjoying a really beautiful RWC Fall night (with only some light rain sprinkling here and there). Isella was a blast, looking cute and saying, "Trick or Treat," and "Halloooo-weeeen." We all just watched our friend's kid get the candy and at each house he made sure to get one for Isella, too. (We just didn't get candy cause my daughters still too young, in our opinion, for chocolate and sweets). 

Now for the rant: One obstacle to our enjoyment of night was seriously the amount of scary images, scary people, and down right scary sounds-in the name of "decorations." Honestly it just seems to me glorification of evil and horror. It was quite the experience in  a short 45 minute jaunt around a local neighborhood with our friends. We were greeted by  a scary woman in a scary-goth-nun costume with a swinging skull head (screaming murderously, non-stop) outside her door, hanging ghosts and goblins from windows and trees and other stuff that scares kids, little kids especially.  This acceptable part of society is really unacceptable to me. It made me feel uncomfortable. I found myself many times trying to shelter Isella's eyes. We wonder why children have nightmares. Thankfully, she's too young to really know what's going on, I hope. I know it's only one month a year, but I think we'll really have to deal with this in greater detail at some point in the future. As we drove home I wondered about maybe starting a safe, non-scary event,  held on our Church's campus. We'll see. When you know God and his goodness...When you know God and the values of his Kingdom, we must be different. I was reminded tonight that we are not of this world. The word of God speaks to us, and we must respond. I'm not trying to be self-righteous or too holy-but on the other hand, if we could do it, humbly, wouldn't we want to be more holy? Food for thought. End of Rant. Now I'm off to eat some pumpkin pie. 

I don't babysit ...my daughter.

Another confirmation that the roles of men are slightly twisted in society.

I was pushing Isella in the cart up to the man checking out groceries (and no we don't use the super duper cart covers)

and had the following interaction:
Man at checkout: Hi who's this?
Me: This is my daughter, Isella.
Man at checkout: Oh, is daddy babysitting today?
Me: No, I'm just spending time with her as my wife's away right now.

I guess I felt a little off put. I don't babysit my daughter, ever. When it's just me and her, I'm spending time with her one on one, not babysitting. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be defensive and I'm sure this guy wasn't trying to be insulting whatsoever but it made me wonder about his perspective. Here's where I psychoanalyze.

I don't like the assumption that if mom's not around that dad "just babysits" Nothing against babysitting, but a father needs to be much more than just a short term, temporary caretaker.

There are assumptions of fatherhood. Wrong perceptions of a dad's responsibility. That's why this post is so important. Is this just because many dads aren't seen with their kids or it's assumed that dads don't spend time with their kids ? Or is it just more common that moms/women and kids are the ones shopping? Either way, it just struck me strange, and I felt a little sad because of it.

What I would have rather heard: "Oh is today a a daddy daughter day?, or "Great, some special one on one time with daddy and his daughter. That's great to see."

Bottom line for me and my children, I want to be a very loving and present father who is engaged in their life.

Am I too sensitive or analytical?
Is this a true perspective as seen in our society, (why/how)?
Should we use the cart covers while grocery shopping?