A Proud Father

Over the past couple of weeks, both of my kids have really impressed me. Don’t get me wrong, as a proud father I’m always impressed. Even still, there are a couple of cool things as of late that deserve mentioning.

Grady has always been a nice kid, and definitely is great with his sister. Recently he’s taking it to a new level though. Without any prompting or guidance, Grady has been really encouraging Emma May in their play. He lets her win or do well in games where his age is a huge advantage for him. Even better, he gives her real earnest congratulations and tells her how well she is doing. Not only is it important that Grady does this, but it is fantastic in how he does it. It’s difficult to describe but he does it really, really well.

Emma May of course is growing up in all the normal ways but one thing that makes me extra proud is how she has been controlling her emotions. Emma has always had temper tantrums. I don’t think they have been anything out of the ordinary and certainly nothing crazy. Just typical stuff around the house, and almost always related to emotions and feelings (and not a tool for getting something she wants). Anyways, over the past month she has been able to stop herself in the middle of a tantrum, squeaking out something like “Daddy, I’m not crying anymore” while successfully lowering her voice and fighting back tears. It’s awesome to see Emma May do this, as it shows that she recognizes what is happening and learning to deal with it. Plus, she’s damn cute even with a sour face!