Letters From Tim

Every family likely has a tradition or routine of sorts at night. We have never been a family to say grace before meals. We make sure to give our thanks in our nighttime prayers. However, we do go around the table and say our “Happy, Mad, Sad.” It is one of the things the kids and I look forward to at dinner. And…you wouldn’t believe how much I learn.

I can always count on Gage to be happy and sad about the same things sometimes which happened days in the past. But he is catching on and is the first to raise his hand to participate, sometimes twice! And, Briggs is somewhat predictable as well. He is always happiest to play with his friends and saddest when the time is through.

Everyone is required to participate (guests are too so beware). And, it is against the rules not to have one thing you can articulate that you are happy about, mad about or sad about throughout the day. We don’t leave out the twins either. We guess what they are Happy-Mad-Sad about.

But we added a new twist in the last week because I am HUGE on building self-confidence. Now after “Happy-Mad-Sad”, they have to say one thing that they either like about themselves or something they are thankful for. This has been particularly interesting!!

I have heard, “I like how I jump.” to “I am good at all kinds of games.” to “I like how I take care of my sisters.” I have heard, “I am thankful for my sisters.” to “I am thankful my daddy is safe.” to “I am thankful for my friends.”

I remember several years back my Aunt and Uncle described how they got their girls to talk at dinner. They kept the yearbook by the dinner table. They would pick a few kids out of their class and say, “So tell me about…Sophie or Travis. What are they into?” Apparently, they had the skinny on the entire class by the end of the year. Pretty ingenious way to get your kids to talk as they get older.

Anyway, I am thankful that my kids are young enough that we still have special family time at night…even if all I have put on the table is chicken nuggets, peas, and strawberries. I am thankful that hopefully this tradition is getting carefully ingrained into my children for it will provide us a lot of insight as they grow older.

Note: As I read through this I was kind of SAD that I kept writing “I” so much. Tim is very much a part of this tradition when he is home. I recognize that it will take time to get back to saying “we” when he returns…and for that I am HAPPY.