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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • June 2016 letter to the readers PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Jordan, Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad OPERATIONS Stephanie Maldonado Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Gemma Bruce, Bella's mom Bret Hammond twins Joshua & Caleb, Ellie & Michael's dad DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@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 standards. 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 con- tained 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 conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine What I love most about father- hood is the opportunity to be a part of the development process of a new life." — Seal I'm eager to see my children grow. My wife doesn't share this sentiment. She didn't want Hayden to walk. I got him going and excitedly texted her a video one night while she was enjoying a girl's night out at Busch Gardens. She didn't want him to talk. I fill his vocabu- lary with witty phrases like, "Here's the deal, bro" and movie quotes like, "Get off my lawn." I was the one who let him climb difficult playground equipment at 2 because I wanted to see how he'd handle it, and who put him on a Razor scooter at 3 because I was amazed at his ability to balance on his bed. He's taken a liking to creating videos and recording podcasts, and now that he's 4 who knows what adven- tures this year will bring. The development of children amazes me. One of my favorite aspects of watching children grow up is witnessing their speech and language devel- opment. I hang onto every word and find joy in every new phrase that my children say and speak. And it won't be long before Olive will begin uttering her first words. I think many fathers are like me. We live for the various stages of develop- ment. In many ways, we get to relive our childhoods again and share them with our children, especially if we have sons. During spring break, my wife and I introduced Quincy to the "Animaniacs" one evening at dinner. It's become one of his favorite shows. I vividly remember being his age (8). I'm 39 now and where I now stand, my father once stood. The lessons my dad taught me, I now pass along. And the words I said that I would never say to my children, I speak with little hesita- tion and then chuckle to myself knowing who it is that I sound like. Happy Father's Day dads; enjoy the journey. Relish each stage and fill their years with life. We get a season to be parents, a season to be mentors, and a lifetime thereafter to be friends. On Fatherhood "