One Proud Dad

As a parent there are many things you can be thankful for. Today, I'm so thankful for my son David. It's his 15th birthday today and he's growing into such an amazing young man. As a Christian he's growing in his walk with the Lord, getting great grades in school, and having a lot of success with tennis. Yesterday he and his partner qualified for the state tennis tournament by finishing second at the district tournament, and as a freshman nonetheless. You may ask why I'm making a big deal about my son? Well it's pretty simple. We live in such a critical and perfection-oriented society (at times) where all too often parents don't say or do enough to show how proud they are of their children. It's easy when they place first or score 100% on a test, but what about when they do their best and place last or score a 73%? Because of an outcome does that mean we're not proud of them? I love the affirmation God gave His Son Jesus in Matthew 3:17 as He came up from the water after being baptized, "...This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." Children need to hear affirmation from their parents. They need to hear and see how proud their parents are of them and the joy they bring. For some parents it's difficult to say anything about their children, let alone anything good. I challenge you today to affirm them. If you're proud of them, let them know. There's nothing like a child hearing their parent say something that lifts and builds them up. And David, I'm so proud of you and thankful for you. Happy Birthday son :)