It Takes a Village To Raise a Child...

When I was in Alabama, Papaw Dale said something that I haven't ever really thought of before... He said " It takes a village to raise a child"  I didn't really give it much thought until now, and boy was he right... I couldn't raise these boys myself.  They have Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Family Friends, Teachers, Doctors, and many others that contribute to the type of person that they are going to grow up to be.  It is our responsibility, as parents, to make sure that we surround them with the best of the best, and by golly, I think that we are on the right track.  I can already see how people are impacting them, and all good I might add!

They are learning unconditional love and comfort from their Grandma Tammy, and they are always getting something special from her, and she is responsible for teaching them compassion and sincerity.  Grandpa Monty always plays with them, and has a gentle way about him.  The boys look to him for comfort when they don't normally go to men for that, but he also plays rough with them at times, which they love!   He is teaching them that men can be tough, but can also have patients and be kind hearted. 

My parents take them fishing and crabbing and are responsible for teaching them to love the great outdoors, and how to love and respect nature.  Men should always know how to fend for themselves if needed :)

There Uncles... Wow, I don't think that these boys could have better men to look up to.  Tyler teaches them humor and lets them really have fun.  He gives them an environment to be silly where they feel like they can really express themselves. Ryan is someone that is the strong silent type, and teaches them reservation and control, but also has really long legs which makes a big lap for the boys to jump into.  Mitch...Mitch is going to be the one that Makes Mama and Daddy go BROKE!  He teaches them anything and everything about sports.  He comes over and plays with them, sometimes for hours!  Blake and Luke are already overly athletic.  I see $$$ in the future for select teams.

Kyle and I teach them boundaries and kindness.  We want our boys to be strong, but to also always be kind and understanding.  We let them dig in the dirt, run around bare-foot, play with worms, but most importantly, we just let them be themselves, and if anything, I hope what they take away from us is that we will always support them in whatever makes them happy.  We will always be there to listen without judgment, and we will always love them unconditionally... hopefully that is what they come out of this crazy house with :)

There are many other wonderful people in their lives that are guiding them into wonderful little men, and although, these boys fight with each other at times, they sometimes push and shove, and they can sure cause a ruckus... they also give each other hugs, Blake tells Luke that he loves him, and knows how to say he is sorry.  They have an amazing balance between toughness and sincerity that I can thank their ENTIRE family for contributing to them.  Witout my village supporting my family, introducing them to new things, loving them, caring for them, and inspiring them, I do not think that they would be as well rounded as they are.  These boys are sure lucky, and so are we for having such a great village helping us raise our children.  I could not get through a day without them!

Thanks Papaw Dale for such a great perspective!