My Finn (2 posts today!)

**See, I told you it was a two-post kind of day :)

So, I'm sure you know how smitten I am with my angel-boy, but I've recently read something that has made me think about him in a different way.

Maybe you have seen the "50 rules for Dads and Daughters" post flying around--it's beautiful. And I love each and every rule. I have a very special relationship with my dad, so I loved it.

But, recently, another blogger posted a post 25 rules for Mothers and Sons and it touched my heart. A lot. Like sobbed my face off touched my heart. So, I decided that I was going to take one of these rules and talk about it, hopefully each Friday.

I'm not going to go in order, I am going to go with "whatever I think is beautiful today."

So here's todays: taken from http://studerteam.blogspot.com/ Visit her!

#6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

This is something that Randy and I have talked about and thought about so much since finding out our little man was a little man. I want my son to have strong role models, but I also want him to know that the term "strong" is relative. Strong does not just mean big muscles and a football player. If that is who Finn grows up to be, that's great. BUT if he doesn't, if he is delicate, and artistic, or musical, or small. We will love him just as much, and be so proud of whatever he chooses to accomplish.

I also want to teach Finn that being smart is cool. There seems to be this strange push for the "dumb jock" and how these are the "cool kids." I hope that Finn will learn that there are strong men who are smart, and usually the strongest men are the smartest ones.

We names Finn after two incredibly strong characters from literature. Huckleberry Finn and Atticus Finch (Harper Lee wrote the book). These people are people who were not necessarily "strong" in the physical sense of the word, but some of the strongest, most poignant characters I have ever read about. People who rose up against their adversaries, who were strong despite their circumstances; people who stood up for people who couldn't stand up for themselves (which takes a strength of character that is so much harder to develop than mere muscles).

Finn--to you. My angel, I can't believe you are already almost one year old, and I can't tell you how proud I am of you already. I hope I can teach you that manliness comes in so many different types, and none is better than any other. I know that we will teach you this, because your Daddy...he is very manly. Manly in the best ways: he cares for his family, loves with his whole heart, is smart, and (most of the time) patient, and loving. These are the qualities that make you a real man. Real men can play chess, or draw pictures, or play music, or dominate in sports, or be amazing daddies, or do all of these things. I hope we can teach you that you don't have to adhere to the societal "norms" of manhood, but rather that you learn to be fully yourself, because that is all we have ever wanted for you. We love you so much.