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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • July 2017 letter to the readers PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTORS Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Megan Walsh, Mia, Noelle, and Adelaide's mom 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 MARKETING INTERN Claire Van Doren Steve and Kelli's daughter DISRIBUTION INTERN Tabitha Van Doren Tom and Leigh Anne's daughter parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540-429-3572 EMAIL leighanne@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540-429-3572 E-MAIL fredparenteditor@gmail.com 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 sub- ject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2017 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 Last summer after one of our radio shows, I was having an off the cuff conversation in the studio with my co-host, D'Shawn. We were talking about summer plans and things we like to do as fathers with our children. Then he shared a startling revelation he had one day when spending time with his two kids—that he didn't really know them. I'll be the fi rst to tell you that D'Shawn is one of the most admirable men I've ever met—he lifted himself from homelessness to owning an award-winning gym and has been named York County Citizen Hero of the Year, been fea- tured on PBS's Virginia Currents and interviewed on WUSA Channel 9 for his ambitious task of sending a tractor trailer of water to Flint, Michigan. His kids completely adore him and they are the center of his world. So how could he not know them? One day, his daughter asked him to name her favorite color. He paused and re- alized that he didn't know. While that may seem like a simple thing, he realized that there were probably many more things he might not know about his kids. That got his wheels turning. He has taken his kids on many family vacations, shared American history with them on numerous trips (one of his passions), and has supported them in every way, but seeing them as people that he needs to know in the same manner that he invests in his personal training clients, he felt that he was falling short there. So he committed to making that change and focused his time not on the things he did for or with his kids, but the quality of their conversations. For a family that was already really close, they became even closer. It caused me to wonder how well I know my kids. My wife knows them inside and out. They bear their souls to her, but with me, not so much. I'm the guy they want to play with. I've become a skilled teacher to my kids, but not a skilled listener of their hearts. Play is fun, but talking matters. I don't want to be an extrovert in the community and an introvert in the home. Like D'Shawn, I invest a lot of time in getting to know clients, strangers and even my friends. Why not my kids ? They're interesting people, too. What's My Favorite Color?