Fatherly thoughts: First words

Ok, I wasn’t there, but your mother called me the first time it happened.

Later that day I heard it for myself. Maybe you didn’t have a clue what you were saying at first, but hey, does it really matter? Style points don’t matter when your first word is Da-da. Sure, it sounded more like Dadadadadadada. It was close enough for me.

Your mother eventually gave in and admitted that Da-da was your first official word. She tried to convince me that you said it before Momma because “D” words are easier to pronounce than “M” words. Yea, we’re not buying that. Are we? One of my buddies said that’s just what mothers say to make themselves feel better … To be honest, I’m impressed at how well you’re doing with all of your babbling and recent attempts to say "hello," "Ok" and "conservatism." Ok, maybe not the last word.

Still, not bad – especially since most of your life has been spent in a Spanish-speaking country. You seem to be soaking up pretty much everything that comes out of our mouths.

That’s great … and a little scary.

I’ve been thinking more and more about the responsibility your mother and I have to set a good example when it comes to the words we say. Some of our friends have joked about putting a quarter in a jar every time they say something not so nice around their kiddos. Hopefully, we won’t have to resort to that – that could get expensive.

Laura, we pray that you will please the Lord with your words. The Bible talks about how the tongue is a difficult thing to control. Your mother and I promise to do our best to guide you in saying things that glorify God and build others up.

You already have blessed us so much since you’ve come into our lives. We look forward to more of the words you will learn like uh … football.