Yeah, I had about decided I had no more stories to tell. I set this old laptop aside and figured I had written all the words I had in my system.....and I was probably right because I still can't think of anything in my past that I haven't already told you. I enjoyed reliving my memories in print but after a while I knew I was going to have to start making things up. I tried that with Frank and Bert but my wife was kind enough to tell me no one is really interested in my imaginary characters. Bless her heart!
What caused me to dust off this old computer and replace the battery was a request I received from a grandson. Carter is only thirteen (fifteen now) but he strikes me as an intelligent and observant young man who listens more than he talks. That's a rare quality in a young teenager so when he approached me with his request I had to sit and talk to him about it first. Carter asked me to write a book just for him. He wasn't interested in funny stories or historical fact, real or imagined. He wanted to learn one thing from this book: How to raise his kids the way Debbie and I raised his dad, Cody. This request involved so much in the way of respect, love, and discipline. From a thirteen year old for crying out loud!! I kind of feel like I have to oblige and start work on this project before I'm too old to remember anything....so let's get started.
Carter, I'm honored you asked this of me. I've thought about it nearly constantly since we talked and you can't imagine how much it means to me and your Mammy for you to feel as you do. The compliment we receive from the way you think about your dad means more than a pickup truck loaded with gold. You explained to me that your dad is wonderful. Your quote, "Dad does everything right!" is true. He is a good man for sure.
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Editor's note: This story began back in 2025 and was set aside by the world-renowned, wise, and much respected author.....who is still amazingly good looking despite 76 years on this earth. Life got hectic for the author and his attitude toward writing had gone with the wind. Now he is back in control of things (kind of) and decided this morning to write another story.....having completely forgotten about the above draft until opening up this old blog site. Oh sure, the gifted author knows blogs are so out of style that no one will ever read what's posted here but doggone it, this is where he chooses to write. It is just too much trouble to come up with a format more up-to-date!! Okay, back to the business at hand:
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Carter, to be honest, so much of what you admire about your dad is his doing, not ours. He has always been driven to excel, succeed, and stay humble and kind in the process. I don't remember ever dwelling on those particular attributes while raising him and your uncle Jamie. We taught them to use good manners, be respectful of others, don't nose pick, and never start out on a long journey in dirty underwear. He developed into the man you love so much by his own feelings, thoughts, and prayers. We gave him the basics, as we did with Jamie, and lo and behold these two great men raised up to be the successes they are. We're proud beyond description but the majority of credit goes to them respectively.
I'll write about the days spent with these two boys as they grew into the men we all know and love but please, do like your dad and set your own firm goals and plans. Go after them like he did and never lose sight of your faith in the Lord. Pray to Him regularly for guidance and protection. Okay, here goes.
Mammy and I were way too young to be married, much less old enough to think about starting a family. I was a junior in college and she was a newly graduated high school girl. Over time, Mammy developed into a pretty doggone good homemaker and I struggled along trying to not crater my education while supporting a wife. She was successful. I failed. At the urging of the dean of the business school at UTA, I took some time off my "studies" to concentrate on whatever it was I was concentrating on instead of school. That was of course my new wife. I would come home from work to grab a quick bite of dinner before heading to Arlington for night classes. She was very supportive. She would ask why I was eating so fast and I would explain, "I need to get to class. I'm way behind." She would offer motivating words like, "Oh, do you really have to go to class again tonight? You went last night." Great homemaker, lousy motivational speaker, but I listened to her requests enough that the university suggested a "short" break.
Life slowed down for us after I took the break from school (a break that lasted way-y-y-y too long). We had leisurely nights at home listening to the Four Seasons and talking about the future. It didn't take too much time for Mammy to suggest maybe we should start a family. I was totally against the idea because I needed to eventually get that stupid education I had already invested so much time on. She was relentless, every night same topic. Finally, the idea became appealing to me too so.....we did! Totally too young and stupid, but there we went.
It took us no time at all to find out we were having a baby. Now, keep in mind this was a long, long time ago. There were no promises of "Hey, you're having a boy....or a girl!" All the doctor could confirm was we were most definitely having something. We wanted a boy, and a boy it was! Now, I'm sure you're old enough to understand that your dad was not this boy child. It was Jamie. While telling about starting life with a little boy named Jamie, keep in mind everything happened exactly the same about two years later when we came home with a little baby named Cody.
Carter, it's impossible to describe the emotions I felt when I was first handed my baby boy. My precious wife had gone through a difficult delivery and I was worried about her....but, I was handed a new soul, a new being I was totally responsible for. The feelings were total joy, pride, fear, and worry. Mammy was too weak to offer more than a smile as I beamed. We did however, talk seriously about this little package we had to protect and love forever. We realized it was on us...and no one else, to make sure this little fella grew up strong, healthy, safe, and well versed in all God expected of him. Just us....good grief, what had we done?!
It took a week for Mammy to regain enough strength to leave the hospital. For some reason, the powers making decisions strongly believed our new baby would be much better off staying at the hospital with his new mother rather than be carted off with an ignorant and very nervous daddy. Wise people those decision makers!
We eventually got settled at home. Home was a new house we had been building during the pregnancy. Of course we weren't actually doing the building. We were paying professionals to do that for us. The house was completed and we were able to close on it one week after Jamie was born. Good timing but I will re-emphasize how young, inexperienced, and stupid we really were. We had no idea what we were doing but with the help of loving, caring grandparents, and a lot of grace from God, we successfully set up housekeeping in a new house, with a new baby, and a whole new set of worries.
I'm going to give you a break from all these ramblings for a few days now. It seems like a good stopping point. The real "meat" of child rearing will start in the next chapter
