With Father’s Day coming up I’m interviewing some awesome dads to find out what they love about being a father!
First up is Christan! He has a beautiful wife and two little boys, he loves to create things and take photos, and he is one of our managers at Lisa Leonard Designs. Christan always has a smile on his face–as you read on, you’ll see what a devoted father and husband he is!
What is one of your proudest moments as a dad?
Some men are born knowing exactly what they want to be, and exactly what they want to do & I guess I am no different. The one thing I have always been confident in is knowing that I was made to be a dad. So, while I had no idea who my son was the day he was born, I was proudest the day he made me his dad. He hasn’t stopped making me proud since….most days!
What have you learned from your Dad that you want to pass down to your kids?
Integrity. There isn’t a particular time when my dad had a conversation with me about being a man of your word, he just acted it out; I want my boys to see me the same way. I want them to see me as a man of honor and integrity and more importantly, I want them to want that for themselves.
What things have you learned from your kids?
Recently it’s how many children songs there are! Each week it seems like I hear Ashton singing a song about planets, animals or this weeks song: “the continent song”. For those of you who are not familiar, here is how it goes: “North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Don’t forget Antarctica, Or way down under in Australia. Tell me the continents, tell me the continents if you can!”
What is one of your funniest dad moments?
Hearing my son translate the world he hears into his own concepts! One of the times I have laughed the hardest is when we were wrestling (as Dad’s do). He apparently wasn’t too fond after a while and screeched, “Be careful daddy! I’m not a toy!”
Being a father is easy, being a dad is hard. I hope my boys know the love I have for them, the adoration I have for being their dad, and the intention at which my wife & I parent them. One of the greatest lessons I have learned from Rick Warren is that we are responsible to our children not for our children. As God as done for me, I will show my boys the way and then I hope they choose to embrace the love that is around them for themselves.
Thank you Christan! You are a wonderful daddy!
Pictured above were the baby’s first spoon and custom magnets!
Your turn, what is one thing you learned from your Dad that you want to pass on to your kiddos or live out in your own life?
My Dad (and Mom really) always told us…”Just do your best…it may not be perfect, but if you try hard and do the best you can…then sometimes that is enough.”
Christan is one of the best dads I know! Beautiful pictures of a beautiful family. Loved this so much.
Loved the joy in that bit!
My dad really brought me up to understand that life is short. He was diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma when my mom was six months pregnant with me, and he was given maybe two years to live. He passed away twenty-five years later. And they were 25 years filled with life and laughter and lessons and the business of living. I felt every second that he treasured each moment with me and my brothers.
So what I learned from him is that you cannot take any moment for granted. You’ve got to embrace what you are given and make your happiness happen. Don’t wait.
My two girls know all about their Opa, and I hope that I am a fraction of the parent that he was. If so, they’ll be golden!
Wow Kelli–that is so beautiful. The perfect reminder for us! Thank you for sharing. xxoo
<3.
What a terrific dad and cute family!
My dad was always wonderful at disciplining without shouting or anger. I don’t remember my dad ever yelling at me, and I remember never wanting to disappoint him.
so glad you are doing this series!! my hubby is gonna be a daddy in a few short months- will have to share these with him 😉
What a beautiful interview, Lisa! What a wonderful family! Those boys are blessed to have such awesome parents.
My daddy died 5 years ago from Alzheimer’s. There are SO many things I would love to pass on to my kids about my daddy but to me the most important thing would be to laugh everyday. Not only did my daddy do this… he spent his life making other people laugh. I think that is why he woke up everyday excited about the new day.