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This is what he recently has been doing while watching TV.
Guess where he got this from? |
People always talk about how their dogs are loyal; how they run to see them to know when you are home, run to you, love you when you need it and miss you when you are gone. I think that toddlers do not get enough credit in this sense, because toddlers are also fiercely loyal in a way that most adults are not. It does not matter where he is, as soon as Teddy sees me, he runs, full sprint, drop everything, to give me that hug. And I watch other children do the same thing. Apparently, we are all born with this feeling of love and loyalty for those that care for us. It is really the thing that makes my day, even those really horrible days better, because nothing seems better to me in that moment that than hug and hearing the words "I love you too Momma". I think I am just wondering what changes, what happens to make that all fade away or certainly fade as we age. Some say its the laws of nature; your children must grow to hate you and be embarrassed by you to mature. I still get so excited to see my family, just as excited as I imagine Teddy to be about seeing me. I get so impatient to get there, wherever we are meeting, drive really fast and just burst out of the car to say hello. Although now, I must admit, a lot of that is my anticipation of seeing how excited Teddy will be when he sees my family. We all may think we are loyal but we all become more self-centered, more focused on the personal gains than on the group benefits. The phrase "take one for the team" only exists because we become more self-interested than we once were as a child, which is why children are so innocent I suppose. I wish all we all could retain that loyalty of childhood, because even though we have to punish our children, they still run to us every single time, with every single boo-boo and every time they seem to have forgotten that spanking or time out.
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| The Pool with Nana--his favorite play date. |
Dear Teddy, please take this as a lesson on loyalty and its rewards. It's hard to remember when you are upset, angry, frustrated or whatever, but family really is the most important thing and loyalty to your family is important (again, I say family, but I mean your "family" those people that you love and treat like family, whether you are related or not). But I must caution you; you can only be loyal to those who are loyal to you. Misplaced loyalty can be hurtful and it will scar you, breaking your spirit even, but don't let it crush you. Remember that what is business for some people will be personal for you and vice versa. There are great examples of loyalty in the famous (Peyton Manning coming back to UT for his senior season, I suppose Tebow too (shrug), Roger Federer always being a gracious winner (and loser)) but be careful of the loyalty you put in those folks as well (Brett Favre, Tiger Woods). No one except you can be responsible for your character; you can look to others for guidance (again, I like the Manning/Tebow/Federer example) but it is you that must live with your choices and your loyalty can never get in the way of your character, because lemmings are loyal too and we know where that gets them.
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| Hanging out with Nana and Pawpaw |
Remember that you will not understand why I say no to something and it will hurt and you will be mad, but just know that I always have your best interests at heart, always want the best for you and will always, always be loyal to you. I will stand beside you through all your joys and failures, no matter what, clapping the loudest and crying the hardest. We want to raise you with strong moral character, one that knows right from wrong, that stands up for those unable to stand for themselves, that believes in the best in people and is loyal to those he loves. None of this will be easy, as obstacles will appear for you to overcome, but I know that you will be strong enough to persevere. Loyalty is an altruistic endeavor my dear Teddy; you have to give it without expectation of receiving it, and in doing so, you will earn respect, which sometimes means more than loyalty.
