Dear Parker,
I am writing you because you are set to arrive shortly. We are yet to meet, but I want you to know that I already love you so much. Despite feeling uneasy about your arrival and not knowing exactly how my life will change, I still feel as if you are my single most greatest accomplishment in life. I am more than ready to finally get to meet you. I am not going to lie, I am ill-prepared for you but I promise I am a fast learner. I know you will change me for the better and I am thankful for that.
There are so many “firsts” that we will experience together and I am so excited to be a father-son duo. The first time I hold you, I just know that you will light up my eyes. There will be your first crawl, your first steps, your first words, and that’s just the beginning for you. As you get older, I look forward to spending more firsts with you. I can’t wait for you to catch your first fish, hit your first home run, shoot your first deer, score your first basket or accomplish all of these things. There are so many more firsts that I’m sure I’m not even prepared for but I will be by your side as we will go through them together.
I know when you come, rest and sleep will be a thing of the past. Don’t worry though because we will constantly be on the move. Hopefully you’re just like me and you can’t sit still. If you are as active as me, we will definitely do our best to annoy your mom together. Although I do a good job at making her mad, I think she will give you more of a free pass than she gives me. You will probably be just as worn out as me because I will constantly be introducing you to new things. Be prepared because I will have you strapped on my back and we will be attending sporting events, fishing and scouting for deer as soon as you are able. I hope introducing you to these things early in life will cause you to fall in love with them as I have and we can enjoy them together.
There will be baseball, basketball, football or any other sport you feel you would be interested in trying. I will be there to coach you and teach you everything I know and if I don’t know, I will learn. Don’t worry though, I promise not to live my life through you and there will never be any unfair pressure from me. Being a kid and playing sports is supposed to be fun and I’ll never let you forget. If you ever feel like I forgot that, please feel free to remind me. You will always finish what you start though because there are valuable life lessons in that.
None of these things may interest you at all but that’s okay. Just know that no matter what, I’ll be your biggest fan and supporter. I want you to find your own passions in life and if you end up following in my footsteps, I’ll be thrilled. There is a fine line between being a parent and a friend but I hope that we can be best friends and if you are raised correctly, there will never be an issue. I l just know that you’ll be a smart, athletic, passionate and kind human being. I love you already Parker. Until we meet. I’ll see you soon.
Love,
Dad
