This weekend, my oldest son Andrew did something for the first time.

He mowed our entire half-acre yard… front and back… with my riding mower.

I didn’t have to do a thing except give him a few pointers, keep an eye on him, and make sure he was being safe and doing a half-way decent job.

I’ll admit… it was nice delegating that chore to him! I’ve been looking forward to doing so for a long time.

But something strange happened inside of me as I watched him lap our yard with my yellow earmuffs cupped over his ears, his feet barely reaching the pedals.

If you’ve been at this stage of fatherhood, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Yes, I was proud of him…

- Proud that he was mature enough at his age to be doing this.

- Proud that he was willing to take on this new responsibility.

- Proud that he wanted to “be like Dad.”

But something inside of me struggled with seeing my boy growing up!

Yes, I know it is inevitable.

I just wish there was a pause button to slow down his progression toward adulthood.

In just a few years from now, I will be looking my son in the eye, because he will be as tall as me. His voice will have changed. He will be driving a car. And he will be thinking about his future as a young man.

When that time comes, I hope to reflect on lots of fun times we had together when he was just a lad, and the privilege of being the Dad who got to raise him, invest my time, money, and energy preparing him for manhood, and more importantly, for eternity.

…and perhaps I’ll have a few regrets too.

But for now… we Dads can be thankful for our children.

And do our best to intentionally make the most of each day with them… one day at a time… while they are still with us growing and developing their minds, bodies, souls, and spirits .

Blessings to you and your family,
Joey Watkins
Founder, FamilyDads

PS – If you are looking for a fun Christmas game to build memories with your family, click here to see a game our family has lots of fun playing.