Verse that impressed me today

Doctrine and Covenants Section 112: 10

Be thou ^ahumble; and the Lord thy God shall ^blead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

Great advice for any father and husband.

Just say "YES!"

I'm trying to look for opportunities to say "Yes" to my children more often. How many times do they hear "no" from me? Too much, for sure. Too often I say "no" simply because I'm lazy, or their request is not convenient for me at the time. I've found that when I do say yes, I feel a great feeling of satisfaction that I am serving my children.

One little example is Anna's bedtime routine. Every night she gets into bed, says her prayers, and asks for a drink of water prior to going to sleep. Many times I would tell her: "Get your drink BEFORE you go to bed, I'm not getting one for you." Lately, I've went and got her a drink without complaining--and that simply act of kindness strengthens our small bond of love in a way that may be intangible, but is unmistakeably real.

Let's get back to this one.

Okay, so that other blog didn't pan out. We'll try again with this one. Perhaps I can get some other Dads to join me. . .we'll see.

Moved

I still want to blog about fatherhood. And I found somebody that wants to join me in my efforts. We began a different blog, for the same purpose: Paternitas. That's Greek for fatherhood. It's a bilingual blog, in Spanish and English (not Greek). Come check it out.

Happiness

Jacob Kempton Kammerman was born at 6:05 in West Valley, Utah. He weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz. and was 18 inches long.


Emily Anne Kammerman was born at 6:07 in West Valley, Utah. She weighed 5 lbs. 15 oz and was 18 inches long.



Patricia is recovering well; she is anxious to get to solid foods!

The staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital are awesome. They are cheerful, accommodating, and very thoughtful. I got to spend the first 45 minutes of the kids' lives with them in the nursery (there were no other infants there at the time). Patricia was finally able to see them a couple of hours later, after they sewed her up and moved her into a maternity room. The evening went well. The kids are learning to nurse; though they want to sleep more than anything else. Emily has had her eyes open more than Jacob; but he has been a more energetic eater. They look quite a bit different, I think. Jacob has a bigger nose; at least that's the most recognizable difference that I picked up on.

We'll take the other kids to see them later on today.

I big thank you to Dr. H. for taking care of Patricia. The anesthesiologist was excellent, too. His demeanor is perfect; Patricia felt very safe and taken care of. Thanks also to all those that are thinking of us.

As I am typing this, Scotland the Brave came up on my playlist. This made me think of all my ancestors; without whose sacrifice Jacob and Emily would not be here. I am so grateful to my grandparents, their parents, and so on. I am truly blessed with a wonderful heritage.

Most importantly, I give thanks to Heavenly Father. I feel a great sense of humility as I ponder the fact that I am a father of wonderful children who part of this great generation. I must do better to serve them.

Gloriously Bright

"Mother, Father did I do all right?"

Last words of Han Qing Jao (Gloriously Bright)
from Orson Scott Card's Xenocide, page 592

During my lunch break today, I sat in my car and finished listening to Xenocide. Tears came to my eyes as I witnessed the passing of Han Qin Jao. Here was a lady who had lived 100 years, never quite certain if she had pleased her parents. This really got me thinking about my children, and about parenthood. Do my children know that they have "done all right" in my eyes? More importantly, how can I help them develop a secure sense of self; one in which they don't require the approval of their parents in order to have peace?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I think they are important quesions. I see a possible answer in a concept I recently stumbled upon in a post on LDS Philosopher. Jeff Thayne's article asserts that there exists more than the two options of self-confidence or low self-esteem. Rather, a third option is being others-centered. A focus on self (in either extreme) is ultimately selfish. The scriptures teach us to be focused on others.

Now, I am thinking of my parents. Mom lives a life of serving others. I never recieved any pep talks from her about self-esteem or self-confidence. I am guessing that none of my siblings did either. Instead, we witness(ed) her countless acts of focusing on others. My Dad is similar. There were plenty of times for him to give me pep-talks about feeling good about myself: especially since I participated in sports for a large part of my growing-up years. Don't get me wrong: I listened to my fair share of sermons; but none focused on self-esteem, self-confidence, or their approval (or lack thereof).

Did I know that they approved of my actions? Did I care? I guess I know they loved me; and approval was not really part of the equation. I didn't want to disappoint them; and in this sense I sought their approval.

I've yet to approach the other-centeredness found in my parents. If home-teaching were a measurement of this trait, I am failing miserably. I feel encouraged to work on this, though. As I live in a such a way that says: "life is about helping others", this may foster an environment conducive to a healthy, other-centered, sense of self in my children.

*Picture of Statue of Chinese poet Li Qin Jao

Mormon Dads Tip #7

spellingcity.com

This is a great site where your children can input their weekly vocabulary or spelling words; then the site will create games, lessons, and quizzes with the customized list. Check it out!