I was just thinking about how much the life of our soon-to-be born son is already being shaped; that is, what some of the things he will like and dislike are. He won’t really know what most of these mean for a few years, but he is already becoming a patchwork of the family he is being born into.
Andrea and I talked about what we want his bedroom to look like. Both of us agree that it we want it to be somewhere he can “grow into”; which means that we don’t want it to look too “baby.” We decided on an explorer/traveler theme with compasses, ships, planes, etc.–or shall I say that I chose it! I think that parents naturally want their children to be images of them, in a way: at least the positive parts of them. With that being the case, Allen (I’m pretty sure that’s how we’re going to spell his name!) will probably be molded into a boy who likes geography and history.
Of course, his grandparents will also get a lot of say. His Grandpa Speckhals already bought him a whole lot of St. Louis Cardinals apparel: including pacifiers, onesies, a ball cap, bottles, and a few other things. What does that tell you? He’ll be a Cardinals fan. Of course, his Aunt Sharon may have a thing or two to say about that, being a Cubs fan!
Then, Allen’s dad (me!), Uncle Adam, and Grandpa Murdock are surely going to make him a Michigan State Spartans fan. I can’t remember, but the Murdock’s may have gotten him a few Spartans things already. If there’s anything he will be a fan of, it will definitely be Michigan State!
What will the Leslie’s make him? If his Grandpa Leslie has his way, Allen will be a long mountain climber! Aunt Sharon will want him to be a Marathon runner, Uncle Jim: a wrestler , and Aunt Lindsey: a cowboy, for sure.
Lastly, but most influential, will be his mom and dad. Dad is going to want him to like McDonald’s, and Mom is going to want an authentic Mexican food eating partner. From mom will also come a love for good biographies, classics, and the Spanish language. From dad will come a taste for war, guns, and basketball.
But after all of this, he will be completely his own person; which makes all of this so exciting! It will be fun to watch him grow up: to see his likes and dislikes, his hobbies and his hates, his tastes and repulsions. Nothing is more important, though, than for him to inherit the Christian heritage passed on by his parents and grandparents. If that was all we could give him, Andrea and I would be overjoyed!
