Hoping They Get That From Me

I play the piano. Sort of.
I took lessons for 8 years anyway and I still like to plink away on it. Piano was never something that came naturally to me - I definitely had to work at it, but I AM glad that my parents made me take lessons all those years and that I still have the ability to read music.
The piano is oftentimes a source of headaches in our household, because the boys will frequently bang on it. Bang their toys on it, slam their hands down on it, do anything they can to make the most wretched noises come from that instrument as they possibly can. Usually during Tyler's nap.
But yesterday....YESTERDAY, Owen actually sat down at the piano, gently placed his fingers on the keys and played Mozart. Just kidding.
But that would've been cool.
But he DID gently place his fingers on the keys, "break" his wrists softly down and press the keys with each finger (occasionally making a harmony or two) and "played" the piano. And i thought to myself, "gosh, I hope he can play the piano like I did"

Now, playing a musical instrument isn't exactly a character trait that I hope my child(ren) gain from me, but it was a nice intro into today's topic, don't you agree? :)

After Steve and I discussed last week the things that we hope our children DON'T learn from us, which I subsequently blogged about (great comments from readers, thank you by the way), we also discussed the things that we hope our kids DO gain from us. What are our best qualities, the things that we hope they "inherit" from us - naturally or from our gentle guidance.

There are many things I hope our boys pick up from Steve...and many things that I see glimpses of even now: AJ's gentle spirit and nurturing side is a trait I see in my spouse, Owen's cautiousness and well-thought out decisions remind me of Steve-o. We also frequently laugh at how Owen takes so long to wake up in the mornings and is such a grump in the process - like his daddy, but oops...I guess we're talking about the good things about us that they inherit.

I hope our boys learn from Steve his questioning mind, his restless spirituality, his personable character. I hope they see his constant wrestle with God and know that it's okay to ask questions, it's okay to be real, that life is a constant journey. I hope they pick up his ability to relate to almost anyone, to befriend any person, to love all people. Steve is (usually) calm and levelheaded in a fight, quick to realize when he's in the wrong, and rational along the journey - I hope they notice these qualities when we disagree and adopt them as their own. He is a good dad, invested in his children's lives and sacrificial of his time and own desires just to be with them. I know they will realize this more and more as they grow older and will be good fathers themselves because of it.

These are just a few of the many things I hope our boys learn from their father. I wrote them down because I know Steve wouldn't have written them himself.

What do you hope your children learn from YOU? From your spouse?

Toot your own horn, brag on your spouse, let's hear what things you want them to learn from you. Can't wait to hear it.....