This morning I happened to be looking through one of my old journals from 19 years ago and came across an interesting journal entry. It was a letter to my son Neil on his 3rd birthday. I had totally forgotten that I had written this little gem to my son. It’s poignant now because I had just recently written him another letter and posted it here on this web site. I entitled it: A Letter to My Son on His Wedding Day.

Here is my journal entry from July 2, 1988:

Dear Neil,

Today you turned three years old. You have grown up so fast. First of all, Neil, I just want you to know how much I love you and care about you. You and I have had our struggles lately though. We don’t always see eye to eye on things. But you have a big heart and you are a very loving boy. You love your little brother Bryce and you enjoy playing with him so much. You also are constantly trying to keep up with your big sister Erika. You get so frustrated when she leaves you behind or walks too fast for you.

You and Erika and her little friend from across the street spend a lot of time playing together. You love to go visit Grandma and Grandpa Woodland who live at the end of the street. They have adopted you as a grandson. They think you are the neatest little boy in all the world. They just may be right.

Neil, I pray that you can grow up with a desire to do what’s right. I pray that you and I can always be close and that there will never be a barrier between us. Neil, we’re not as close right now as I know we ought to be and I know that’s my fault. I just haven’t spent enough one-on-one time with you.

I want you to know that I am not a perfect father and I make many mistakes and have many weaknesses. But I try every day to improve myself and do better.

Neil, I love you and hope I can be a better father to you.

Love,
Dad

Well, there you have it – my thoughts and feelings about my young son 19 years ago. I am glad to report that I did work on my relationship with him and we do have a great relationship today. It wasn’t always easy and we didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But he has grown up to be a great young man who I love very much.

Why am I sharing this with you? Perhaps you are now where I was then with your children. My advice is to keep working on your relationships with your children. The payoffs in later years make all the struggles worth it. Houses, cars and jobs come and go but your children will ALWAYS be your children. They are what’s really important. Never lose sight of that fact. Thank you.

Copyright © 2008 Garold N. Larson

Dear Neil,

Twenty-two years ago you came into my life. I will never forget that day. You were such a beautiful baby with lots of hair. As I held you in my arms I wondered what the future held for you, what kind of life you would live. I wondered if I could be a good father to you and teach you and raise you right. When you were a year old I wrote this in my journal:

Neil sure is getting to be a rambunctious little boy. He gets into everything. You have to watch him every second. He loves to climb up onto chairs and then up onto tables. He has a lot of bad falls and bangs his head quite often. He’s a good boy though. (Oct. 12, 1986)

And now, over twenty years later, I could write nearly the same thing except its cliffs and cars and bridges you climb up and jump off of! And I’m usually there helping to film the whole thing! You are definitely a young man that is cut from a different mold than most every one else. You have so many wonderful and unique talents and gifts that it excites me to watch you develop them and wonder where your life is headed. I’m excited to see what great things you will accomplish with your life. Read the rest of this entry »