Several months ago I read a story in Time Magazine about Ritt Bjerregaard, who is the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen. The story intrigued me because she is a staunch supporter of men being father’s and investing into the lives of their children. She started a campaign in Copenhagen called “The Daddy Forever” campaign. Lord May0r Ritt Bjerregaard also encourages all “new” fathers to take their six week paid vacation when they have a new child. She provides each new father with a “Daddy Pack” which consists of certain items for new dads. How cool is that??? I love that she is doing this! Why can’t we see that type of support here in the U.S.? It’s pretty amazing isn’t it?

So, being that I was so intrigued and encouraged by what she is doing I thought that I would send her a couple of books and tell her how thankful I was for all that she was doing to encourage men to be dads! Last month I received a response from Lord Mayor and I was completely blown away. The fact that she would respond to me encouraged me to continue on my task to be a small voice in a noisy world saying that dads matter.

I have put up the letter so that you can all check it out!

Peace,

Gabriel

I was having lunch with a friend today and we began chatting about our children. He has a baby boy just about to turn one and I have an almost two-year-old now as well as a ten-year old. We began to chat about the personalities of our sons. I listened intently as John talked about his boy and his personality. It’s a beautiful thing to see a man talk passionately about his son. The love that John has for his baby boy evident for I wouldn’t be able to wipe the smile off of his face if I tried. I wouldn’t dare anyway because it was a beautiful thing to witness. A father’s love for his child! Awesome!

Than I began to share about my two-year old. I told John stories of how Ezrah is quite the daredevil. He takes a lot of risks like climbing up the railing that separates the kitchen from the living room. The kitchen is a level above the living room so he is making quite the climb. He loves going to the very top and just hangs there. When my wife or I see him we are immediately running over to his rescue but he would like nothing more than for us to just go away. Ezrah would also climb to the top of the bunk bed, via the ladder, when we had it set up. The kid just loves to climb. He also like to just jump off of the couch onto the floor holding a pillow to his face to protect his fall. I mean, he really goes for it.

I began to compare with John how my older son Julian didn’t seem to be as daring to me. We began to compare notes and the different situations that each boy has experienced growing up. I was a single father with Julian. We had loads of fun together and had the time of our lives but I just don’t remember him doing some of the stuff that Ezrah does. We concluded, whether we are right or wrong, that Ezrah is being raised with a mother and a father in the household so that creates a certain level of certainty and security. Maybe it is because of that foundational security that allows Ezrah or gives him the freedoms to risk more and do the stunt man stuff.

Whereas Julian had a bit of a different situation so the risk factor wasn’t as tangible or attractive to him. He loved the safety of just being with me…his father! I mean, I love that! I love the sweet relationship that he and I have today so I can see a bit of a difference.

This conversation led me to self-examine myself and my life and it turns out that I wasn’t much of a “risk” taker as well. I grew up with my mother and father absent for the most part. I take more calculated risk than just jumping out and going for it. I love the comfort of my home and would be satisfied to just stay home and curl up on the couch with the remote. A great example of that is on New Years Eve my wife went out with her girlfriends and I was home all alone. Don’t feel bad for me because I loved it. I had a couple of friends pop by but for the most part the silence and aloneness were a gift.

So, that is the tale of my two boys. What about your kids. What are some of the differences that you notice. I would love to hear about it.

Peace,

Gabriel