oh daddy... you're so fine. you're so fine you blow my mind.

My husband asked me if he gets Fathers Day presents in both June and September. (Australian Fathers Day is in September.)

"No, nice try," I said. "We’ll celebrate in September with the rest of the nation."

But since I’m American I can’t let this Fathers Day go by without writing something about my hunk-o-spunk hubs... especially since this is his first (American!) Fathers Day with a child on the outside. What a great excuse (as if I need one) to publicly affirm my man whom I am so proud to be married to!

So, here we go.

Ryan is an incredible dad, as I knew he would be. The way he relates to children is one of the things that first attracted me to him early on in our dating relationship. But for the sake of this post (cause if you haven’t noticed by now, I sometimes have trouble keeping things short!) I’m going to list the first ten things that come to mind about why Levi’s daddy is such a great father:

1. Levi’s daddy is humble. He is secure enough in who he is to be willing to admit when he’s made mistakes. When he’s wrong he’s not too proud to say “I’m sorry” and ask for forgiveness. What an awesome thing to have modeled to our children.

2. Levi’s daddy is kind. He is as respectful and kind to strangers as he is to those he loves… and he’s as respectful and kind to those he loves as he is to strangers. I know our children will always be treated with kindness by him.

3. Levi’s daddy is pure-hearted. He doesn’t manipulate and doesn’t use others for his personal gain. He has integrity and is deliberate to keep his motives in check. He will not push or use our children to fulfil his own unmet dreams or expectations.

4. Levi’s daddy is fun. He is light-hearted, always joking, and wonderfully silly. He is creative and imaginative and will bring laughter and playfulness to our home, which every child needs.

5. Levi’s daddy knows how to treat women. He is polite, honouring, and very much a gentlemen. He will teach our son how to treat women and—if we have any daughters—he will teach them how they should expect to be treated by men.

6. Levi’s daddy is always learning new things. (This is especially when it comes to gadgets and anything mac!) He’ll show our kids that learning is a life-long process, and that it’s not only necessary, but enjoyable.

7. Levi’s daddy is concerned with others. He is not self-consumed and he cares about what goes on in the world. He will inspire our children to have a local and global perspective and to play their part in making a difference where they can.

8. Levi’s daddy values people’s individuality. He doesn’t expect everyone to be the same and loves to see people thrive in who they are – personality, gifts, skills, quirks, and all. He will help our children to find themselves and be secure in their identity.

9. Levi’s daddy is a great encourager. He freely cheers people on and constantly offers optimism and encouragement. No doubt our kids will grow up feeling like they have a dad who believes in them.

10. Levi’s daddy is an amazing coach. He has an awesome ability to get alongside people and train them as they go. He’ll offer input and suggestions along the way in a very on-the-job, side-by-side style of teaching, rather than just giving instructions from a position of superiority. Coaches are focused on the needs and successes of the people they coach, and he will most definitely do the same with our kids.

By the way, these are not written in order of importance; they are literally written in the order they came to my mind. And of course I could write many more reasons... but we'll leave it at ten for now. J

I’m so grateful for Ryan - my husband and Levi’s daddy. We are so blessed to have him in our lives!

Happy (American) Fathers Day to you, babe! (And yes, I think you're hot.)

Love me. xx 

p.s. We only have one son right now (which is plenty for the moment!), but I’ve pluralized when talking about “our kids” because we definitely want to have more than one child in the future. J

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