My Bestl Friendl

In Korea there's an old saying that goes:

There are three kinds of fool: those who brag about their wives, those who brag about their children, and those who brag about their jobs.

Since I am somewhat of a fool when it comes to my family and I have already bragged about my wife, I am going to brag about my boy. I'll talk about my daughter later.

Before Ammon was born I was a typical expectant father - very nervous. Would I be the kind of man who makes a good father? Would I be able to teach my son some of the important things I have learned? Would I try to force him into living the life I always wanted or let him have his own? Would I be able to provide for his needs - materially as well as spiritually? Would I be a good example? These ideas, and a million more like them, chased around and around in my head like so many Koi in a Japanese landscape pond. I desperately wanted (and still do!) to be a good father - like my father was (is!) for me. But it was a new experience, so how was I to know what would happen...

And the root of all the questions rolling around my pea-brain was the nagging fear that my son wouldn't like me. I know, sounds ridiculous, right? What kid doesn't like his father? But there it was.

I was driving home from work in Michigan, from this job that I did but didn't like, with these thoughts running through my mind, feeling nervous. Suddenly, and quite inexplicably, the impression came to my mind that my son was aware of me. And then I felt him - Ammon - like he was sitting next to me in the car. He was so happy - happy to be coming to earth, happy to be about to be born, happy to be (above all things) coming to our family. He was excited, more excited than I felt at the moment. But the happiness and excitement were infectious - I started to weep! My boy was excited to come and be with us after all!

These feelings are hard to describe. But anyone who has been around Ammon knows that he is a genuinely happy child - he loves to laugh and have a good time (which sometimes wears his mom and me out)... He is growing to be a strong young man - spiritually and physically. He is incredibly talented and intelligent - it's all I can do to keep up with the boy.

I am so proud of him. More so now than ever before. He continues to be my best friend, a buddy to hang out with. We talk about everything from books (he reads voraciously, just like his dad and grandpa and great-grandpa!) to school (he never gets anything less than a 90 on anything) to Church and spiritual things. He never ceases to amaze me with his depth of understanding and feeling.

Now he's going through the typical self-assertion challenges we all go through. It's not anything unexpected, but at times can be exasperating. Usually it just makes me smile because I was so much the same way when I was a kid. Not bad at all - just silly...

It's going to be fun to watch him get older. We only have our kids with us for such an incredibly short period of time - I hope I can enjoy every last second with my boy...

PS - the pic is Ammon when he earned the Arrow of Light Award in Cub Scouts last year. What a great kid! YS was not available to pin her with the mom's pin, so he pinned it on Elise... What a great brother!