Papa Said V.3

Today's Papa Said comes from one of my favorite blogging mamas, Rachel!  I think it's always so neat to see "the man behind/alongside the blogger," and today is definitely a treat. Rachel has such a strong blogging voice and I absolutely adored hearing a bit of Brett's, too. Perhaps she can convince him to do a weekly feature on Smile and Wave? Eh? Either way, thank you Rachel and thank you Brett!


Brett is the kind of man that does most everything intentionally. He is always ready to learn from others, figure out the best approach, do his homework, etc. One of the reasons I was so attracted to him was his desire to be a good husband and father. When the other guys at college were joking about flag football and bragging about not having studied for their final he was reading books on love languages and leadership. He's been a serious guy from the start when it came to his wife and kids and after almost nine years we've still got it!

My favorite thing about Brett in regards to fatherhood is how playful he is with our kids. He's usually always ready to wrestle with Sebastian and tickle Ruby. I can never get them to laugh as hard as he does! I'm so thankful for who he is and how he loves us.



Three pieces of advice from Brett:

1. I want to keep the immediate moment's tension balanced with the long term view of who I am shaping my kids to be. Obedience in the moment is important, but teaching and modeling what you want is better.

2. Sometimes a situation, particularly a disciplinary situation, calls for a strict response and sometimes it doesn't. Reading and reacting to the situation is a much better way to parent than responding the same way, every time for every child.

3. I like to tell my kids I love them all of the time, when they're being great and when they're acting out. I also apologize when I lose my temper, and hopefully letting them see my faults will prove to be a good move once they're older.