A letter from Mummy about Daddy...

To my three wonderful and unique children,

I thought I would pen you a little letter, one you can read later on when you are grown up and understand emotions a bit more. When I fell pregnant for the first time I was thrilled and Daddy was thrilled too, we had so wanted to have children.  I especially wanted to have a boy first and then a girl afterwards.  How blessed were we to receive you JJ, my big intelligent boy and then doubly blessed to get not just one girl but two special little angels.

You know by now what Mummy is like, I am a talker and I say what I mean and what I feel.  You regularly hear me tell you I love you and you see it in the things I do. It is easy for me to praise you and remind you each of your wonderful assets and strengths, this all comes natural to me, I grew up with it. Daddy does not find this kind of thing so easy.  He grew up differently to you, loved but not in an outwardly expressive way. So he is still learning...

I know that Daddy does not say 'I love you' very much but you know what?  He adores you, each of you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than life itself. He is a man of very few words when it comes to speaking his emotions but he has massive depths, so don't ever let that fool you.  In fact I am pretty sure I do not even need to tell you this as although Daddy does not directly say he loves you he shows you every day, in those cuddles, kisses, the time he takes to listen to you, the way he coaches you and the fun you have together.  To have a daddy who bakes with you, baths you, reads to you, takes you on bike rides and gets down on the floor to play - those are all pretty special things, right?

I would even go as far as to say that you kids have set Daddy free to be the man he wants to be, you have helped him to open up and to love unconditionally.  Mummy did some of the work before you came along but it is you guys who have melted his heart and made him an old softie.  He would give you anything and lay his life on the line for you.

You may have noticed by now that Daddy has a special talent, he can work with young people and children, especially those who have been marginalised or bullied and he helps them to believe in themselves, he gives them responsibility and trust and they reward him with results and growth in their confidence. I know that as you grow and develop in your own special ways Daddy will help each one of you and nurture you to be all you can be, he won't push you to meet his agenda or have unrealistic expectations of you. If you wish to be a scientist or a street cleaner, a doctor or a plumber he will be fine whatever, except that is of course if you feel the world owes you a living and you want to put in no effort and be on benefits, that is probably something neither him or I would tolerate.

You have a very wise Daddy and you would do well to listen to him, respect him and learn from him.  I truly believe he has the God given gift of Wisdom. When he tunes in and listens he is able to make sound decisions in all parts of life. We pray that each of you will recognise your God given talents and use them to your full advantage.

Each one of you makes us proud, in totally different ways and everything Daddy does is done with you and me in mind.  When he does not want to go to work in the morning he does it to provide for his family. When he says no to spending money on something which may seem fun but is wasteful he does it so he can provide for our great family holidays and when he says no to you he does it as he is the adult and he knows what is best for you. Those books you want to read JJ will not educate you in what is kind and considerate of others, running off alone Miss M will not keep you safe and crying and sucking your fingers will not help you to be assertive Miss E.

Being a parent can be painful as we teach you the important lessons in life but it is also the most rewarding job ever and one we choose to do and are proud to stick with.  You are very lucky to have such a wonderful father and I will be pleased to see you remember this as you grow older.

You make us proud, our wonderful children.

Love you, Mummy xxx

Friday carnivals are back at Notes from Home and this is my entry this week. Go and take a look, Ella is very lovely and will welcome you with open arms.