75 things I love about you…

1. Everyone was always welcome in our home
2. You settled arguments without violence
3. You gave hugs and kisses
4. You said, “If you’re sorry, you won’t do it again.”
5. The way you said “maybe” or “we’ll see”
6. The way you always picked Miss America at the beginning of the show
7. You always spoke up and shared what you believed, giving us the strength to do the same
8. Sought refuge in the Bible, at the passing of your mom and dad
9. Making sure our friends shared all we had
10. Always made time to talk… and talk… and talk…
11. Always said “let’s go for coffee,” anytime, anyplace, any occasion
12. The way your eyes glisten with affection when you are telling someone about us kids
13. Your skill with a level, and another, just to be sure it’s level!!!
14. The way you said contentedly “that’s my girl”, “that’s my boy”…
15. The way you raised four ambitious kids… very ambitious
16. You instilled in us the values of honesty and hard work
17. The way you lead by silent example of your character and wisdom
18. You have always given everyone the benefit of the doubt… Even when you knew they need to tell you the truth
19. You always make sure the news is on and we are informed
20. When disappointed, you simply say “Honey, I’m disappointed in you”
21. The way you always made sure I got to the roller skating rink
22. You’re always willing to take a chance… and another… and another…
23. The way you trained cats to act like dogs
24. The way you disciplined us with love and compassion.
25. You always accept collect calls at all hours of the night
26. The way you set goals and achieve them, and then set new goals
27. The way you make other people’s lives better, just the way your father did before you
28. You let us know you were human and that we were too
29. In your success you showed us that we will succeed too
30. You have shown us that we can fail and not be a failure, and we can succeed, but to be humble in our successes, and to share both experiences with the people we love
31. You always made vacation time, “family time”
32. I will always admire your skill at keeping a car running, and running…
33. I love your smelly feet – at a distance of course!!
34. You made sure we always had the latest… Whatever it was
35. Facing adversity head-on without the use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco
36. Making those drives to Florida as “quick” as possible
37. Always comforting us with, “we will get through this”
38. All of your accomplishments at Bell, though few knew how important your role was
39. You’re still at coaching basketball; they wanted to win with you
40. All the time he spent explaining “math” to me
41. Being consistent in your thinking about life
42. Always sharing your struggles and solutions with us
43. The way you stressed that family IS family
44. Wanting better for your family, not just the average or mundane
45. The way you rushed to help, especially when Cadet Chemical went “kaboom”
46. Your sense of excitement at good news
47. The way you were still doing acrobatics on the living room floor, when other fathers had stopped years before
48. You always encouraged us to stand on our own
49. You search for solutions when others would give up
50. You have always taken our stress upon yourself, so we didn’t face it alone
51. Even when you disagreed, you still listen to other points of view
52. Thank you for never waking up grumpy
53. You always believed that all things are possible
54. The look in your eyes when you took me to college
55. The pride you showed at my college graduation
56. The tears in your eyes when you gave me away
57. How you always took time to listen to all of my ideas
58. The way you always praised us kids, even when we didn’t deserve it
59. Accepting time marching on, and re-evaluating how to face the new challenges
60. You’re punny witt
61. For not saying “someday this will all be yours, “but rather sharing everything every day
62. For living today, forgetting yesterday, and keeping an eye on tomorrow
63. Having the tools your friends were always looking to borrow -but occasionally returned
64. Being a good friend and neighbor, showing us by example how to give
65. You’re puzzling puzzles
66. Facing your fears, to keep us safe from ours
67. Saying, “I’m sorry,” wasn’t easy, but you did it if you KNEW you were wrong
68. Watching you work on the pool
69. You always had a solution to any problem
70. Your compassion for animals
71. Facing disappointments, being broken hearted, and still having the love to -try again
72. The way your gray hair is so-becoming
73. Your selective hearing, making sure you hear the good things
74. You provided for our family a loving home
75. Daddy, there are many more than seventy-five things love about you, these are just a few, the one I really love I saved for last…
I LOVE YOU, Terry Ann

Sincerely,
Tracy Taylor
CEO/Founder
My Turn Your Turn
www.MyTurnYourTurnBlog.com

Tracy is the CEO/Founder of My Turn Your Turn. Founded in 2011, My Turn Your Turn was created to provide positive co-parenting tools, improve communication between co-parents and children, a platform for families to organize dates, expenses and important court documents. Visit our blog today at www.MyTurnYourTurnBlog.com for more tools and tips on how to be the best co-parent you can be.

Dr. Lisa Boesky

We are dads, the keepers and protectors of the castle, we are the guys who put the training wheels on!  So now are we supposed to hide the hand sanitizer?  Well, yes if that’s what it takes in the short term.  But, what about the problem that lies beneath?  Well, that’s where our old friend, communication, comes in handy.  My friend and contributor to the Radio Dad show, Dr. Lisa Boesky, said teens are going to do what they are going to do.  Word of mouth and especially, the internet spreads the latest trend and techniques very quickly and dads shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking that they know what dangers are out there, based on what was around when THEY were teens.  She said in a recent Radio Dad episode, “…dads and moms need to be on the same page when it comes to what’s going on in a teen’s life.  It’s important to get beyond simply hiding all the things that may harm our teens and find out what’s behind the behavior and get inside that head.”  This is where making sure you communicate is important.  Will it be tough?  Yes.  Will you struggle for words?  Maybe.  Do you have to be interested, engaging and willing to take how ever long it takes to find out what’s in that brain? YES!!!

I have to admit, it got to me!  Take a look and then let Allen know what you think…better yet, buy his album!  I will be interviewing him in the near future here for our podcast so keep checking!

Thank you to all the wives, children, colleagues, parents, and friends who submitted nominations for over 450 military fathers. NFI’s panel of judges enjoyed reading about these great fathers who are making a difference for their children and our nation. We truly appreciate the sacrifices these families make to serve our country!

However, there can only be one recipient of the Military Fatherhood Award™. Our judges painstakingly narrowed the nominees down to just three finalists. And now it’s up to the American people to choose the winner!

Meet the 2012 Military Fatherhood Award™ Finalists:

1st Lieutenant William Edwards, U.S. Army
Read Lt. Edwards’ nomination >>

Father of four children
Currently serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Senior Airman Jonathan Jackson, U.S. Air Force
Read SRA Jackson’s nomination >>

Father of two children
Currently serving at Travis Air Force Base, California

Lieutenant Dennis Kelly, U.S. Navy
Read Lt. Kelly’s nomination >>

Father of five children
Currently serving at Camp Pendelton, California

We’ve asked the families of each finalist to submit a two minute video to show the American people why they think their dad should win the award. The finalist videos will be posted on NFI’s Facebook page beginning April 23rd.

We’re asking the public to visit NFI’s Facebook page between April 23rd and May 20th to watch the three finalist videos and vote for the finalist they find most compelling. Individuals may cast one vote per day, so we encourage voters to return daily to vote for their favorite!

Shortly after voting ends, NFI will announce the winner and head to the winner’s base for the award presentation. With your help, we look forward to honoring another great Military Dad this year!

Each year, NFI solicits nominations for the Military Fatherhood Award™. Nominations come from wives, children, parents, and colleagues of dads representing every branch of the military. Nominations are judged on evidence provided by the nominator that the nominee meets our four criteria – (1) displays an ongoing commitment and dedication to his children, (2) makes extraordinary efforts to father from a distance when deployed, (3) successfully balances military and family life, and (4) makes an effort to mentor other military fathers and/or military children who are separated from their fathers. See Official Rules.

My dad was my greatest influence and truly my favorite person in the whole world. Growing up, he always made me feel special and let me help him on various projects around the house. He was a dreamer and had an entrepreneurial spirit. He lived by the motto, “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. In my adult years, we built several businesses together and he always encouraged me to be an entrepreneur, like him. He passed away in 2004 and every time I start a new project I think of him and wish he were here to encourage me to push forward.

Because of my relationship with my own dad and the influence he has had in my life, I always encourage dads to spend quality time with their children talking to them, encouraging them, dreaming with them and helping them see the possibilities around them. The memories you make with your children are priceless! Giving them the confidence to go out into the world and be creative is a gift that will keep on giving! Who knows you might even find that they will want to go into business with you as well!

Are you a dad-preneuer at heart? Create a tradition your child will love!

Here are four steps to get started now!

Step one:

Find a small project. 

Step two:

Encourage your child to help you with the project. Make them feel needed. Build their confidence.

 Step three:

Let your child do some of the work. It’s not about how good they do, it’s about your teaching and

guiding them to do it by your side. Practice makes perfect.

Step four:

Be fun, uplifting, encouraging and then be sure to praise them for their participation and for completing the task.

Good luck dads, the ball is in your court. Too often, in the world of parenting, dads get left out. So here we’re encouraging you to let us know how you’re involved in your children’s lives and how you’re encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit. Please share!

Tracy Taylor, CEO and Founder

My Turn Your Turn

www.myturnyourturnblog.com

My Turn Your Turn was founded in 2011 to share positive parenting tools, improve communication between co-parents and provide a platform for families to organize dates, expenses and important court documents. Visit us today for more tools and tips on how to be the best co-parent you can be.

Recently though, after my daughter asking several times over, we made arrangements for him to come to visit on one of our weekends together.  I tried not to have preconceived ideas about what he might be like and determined to just “go with the flow”.  We set specific ground rules about who would sleep where (they were separated by 2 floors and we put my daughter in with her other step-sisters), and we made plans on what we would do for the weekend activities.  I didn’t let either of them know, but I set aside time for me to talk with Chaeys about my daughter and their relationship, etc..  

When I picked them up, I was met by a boy who made an effort to shake my hand and be respectful (1 point), I watched from a distance and noticed that he treated my daughter with respect and they smiled a lot at each other (another point).  When I got around to talking with this young man, I found out he has plans for his life, he has 2 jobs (one as a farm hand) and he spoke to me without saying the word “dude”…even once!!!  (‘nuther point).

If you are in a similar situation, here are some tips:

1)  Try to talk to the boy ahead of time and let him know a few rules of your house and what he can expect.  Find out if he has any food allergies and if he would like to do anything (bowling, hiking, favorite board game).

2)  Turn off the TV.  Spend your time talking and getting to know each other and make time to talk with him man to man, father to ….future son-in-law?

3) Set rules for the sleeping arrangements!  Let’s face it, there’s is a strong physical attraction in addition to the sunshine and unicorns fairytale romance your daughter thinks she is in.  We put a couple of floors and several others in between the two of them.

4)  Make sure you have each other’s phone numbers.  Communication is important.

Though we only spent about a day and a half with Chaeys, I am now confident that he has only the best intentions when it comes to my daughter and I’m impressed that he has a brain and thinks for himself…it also helps that he seems to be a hard worker…AND refused to take any money to help pay for his gas!  I can see what my daughter sees in him.  My oldest daughter graduates this year and after that she plans to go to school near where He lives and works.  I can’t guarantee they will always make good choices, but at least now that I know this young man, I can help them to steer in the right direction.  What other ideas can you think of when it comes to a situation like this?