July 24. “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they’ve never failed to imitate them.”

So, I am back from the trip with my sons. We had a fantastic time at the race, and built memories that will last for a lifetime. These last 3 days the quotes have reminded me about the relationship between myself and the next generation. Yesterday I wrote that being around young children makes me feel young myself. Today I am here to attest that being around my sons made me equally young at heart.

Relating to this quote, I think the thing I noticed most about my sons would be the similarity of our senses of humor. After just a short time together we were able to all laugh at the same jokes, even finishing some of them for one another. At times the humor was a bit bawdy, but all in good fun.

I see the similarities and how my children imitate my wife and I in all four of them. I see their mannerisms mirroring one or the other of us, their takes on life, their work ethic, and yes, their sense of humor. None of those things did we set out to intentionally teach them, and none of them could have been taught without our examples to light the way.

Some of the funniest things I have ever seen my children do is to intentionally imitate me. For some reason my voice becomes comically low, and my views on life hilariously narrow to the topic on which they are imitating me. The way they see how I interpret the world is quite eye opening, and usually makes me take myself a lot less seriously.

Today as I am back in my home office, my reflection is on how blessed I feel as a parent. My wife and I have managed to muddle through the mistakes and missteps of parenthood without getting too much in the way of them developing into fine men and women. I love them all dearly, even when they poke fun at my quirks. J