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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • February 2014 LETTER TO READERS PRODUCTION PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Elizabeth Jones Jordan, Quincy & Hayden's mom DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Leanne Dalton Justin, Steven & Rebeka's mom ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE Sheila Giscard; Jack's mom OPERATIONS & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom OFFICE MANAGER Nancy Massanat Emily & Kyle's Mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom CALENDAR EDITOR Leigha Pecher Jake & Luke's mom CIRCULATION Krista Starosta Nick, Andrew, Kaylin & Kensington's mom COMMUNITY BLOG Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Elizabeth Jones: Jordan, Quincy & Hayden's mom Pamela Quinones: Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton EVENT PLANNING & SCIENCE SATURDAYS Stephanie Maldonado; Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL lcdalton@fredericksburgparent.net E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & RESOURCE REQUESTS E-MAIL calendar@fredericksburgparent.net E-MAIL resources@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 • FAX 540/374-1672 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net publisher@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and condi- tions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2014 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. l ove is the greatest thing we can teach our children and Valentine's Day is the right vehicle to do it. Their hearts are primed for it. And as a husband and father, I take it upon myself to be the love leader in my family. I know that when I display affection towards my wife in my children's presence, they treat her as I do. I have boys; they want to be like daddy. Part of that involves loving what daddy loves—be it an activity, sport, or in this case, mommy. They kiss mommy on the cheek, they cuddle with her, sup- ply mommy with endless amounts of hugs, and our 6-year-old walks around the house telling her that he loves her. It makes me proud since it is a reflection of how they see me. One goal I set daily is to touch my wife and children—a hug, a kiss, a pat on the head, holding hands, a massage, a fist pound, wrestling on the floor, cuddling while reading or a high five. I've taught my kids through this that connection and affection are important. Right now, we're teaching Quincy how to love with his time and money. This is challenging for him because giving financially cuts into the money he's saving for games and toys. My goal with him now is to prime him to not love money, but to love giving a portion of it away to worthy causes like ministry, needy families, acts of kindness or charities. In the season of love, I hope you will find opportunities to teach your children how to give love as opposed to just receiving it. Commercialism can taint our hearts. But as Jesus put it so simply, "Freely you have received, freely give." May love never leave your home. Chris Jones has been shown a lot of love in his life and strives to show others the same love. BY CHRIS JONES Building a Legacy of Love Ruby Lee Photography