Being a Dad

I meant to post this earlier this week, but my week became consumed with writing a sermon. Enough excuses, thanks to my mom, brother, wife, and good friend, I'll be posting about being a dad. So here are my paternal reflections...

• Having a son is awesome! I'll admit it, I was hoping for a boy when we got pregnant. I would have loved my daughter just as much, but it totally rocks having a little boy around. I'm a big time rough houser with him and can't wait for the days of playing catch, going fishing, and doing all the cool things that dads and sons get to do. I enjoyed those things with my dad and I'm looking forward to sharing the same things with Owen.
• Being a parent is tiring. Now let me first give major props to my wife. She is an amazing woman and I can't imagine doing what she does day in and down out. I spend most of Friday with Owen on my day off and by the time Melissa comes home from cleaning houses, I'm pretty well shot. It's hard work!
• I am a selfish human being. I never realized how much I valued my time and being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. A dad truly has to put his wife and child(ren) first. There's just no way around it. I do miss the days that I could take a nap when I wanted and do home improvement projects on Fridays. Gone are those days...for now.
• As much as I love Owen, Melissa comes before him. I'm saying this because I have to continually remind myself about the priority of my marital relationship. Owen takes a lot of time and energy and if Melissa and I don't intentionally take time to work on our relationship, something's going to eventually hit the fan. (I'm not just saying this because Valentine's Day is Saturday and the wifey's birthday is next Sunday)
• God's provision is sufficient. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into when we got pregnant. I had no idea how to be a dad. I didn't know how to change a diaper. I didn't have a clue. God gives us the ability to adjust to many different situations in life and He will never give us something we can't handle, although I think He pushes us to the limit so we have to depend on Him. That's ok with me.