Raising Free Thinking Kids and Dogs

For Father's Day 2012

Fatherhood came early for me in this life.  I was young and so was the love of my life.  Struggles came also very early but the goal was always the same for me.  Raise my children to be "free thinking adults."   This was the most important aspect of fathering (or existence itself) to me.  I wanted my girls to be independent women who could think for themselves and develop their own lives.

Being a believer in reincarnation gives me the understanding that these two women came into our lives for us to teach them skills to live in THIS current society.  They were their own persons the moment they arrived.  It was our job to reintroduce them to how to "make it" this go around.

They chose me as their father.  It was my largest responsibility in life to teach them or get them the teachers who could share the knowledge with them about life skills.  Not for my satisfaction or "pride" but so they could one day go out into society as FREE THINKING PEOPLE.

Five years ago today, our oldest daughter got married to a great guy.  They are a fantastic team.  Both Free Thinkers.  We don't agree on everything, but that is exactly the point of raising them the way we did.

In a couple months it will be our youngest daughter's fifth anniversary.  Another set of Free Thinkers.

It was just after the girls got married that we first got Chloe.  Ten months later, Bailey joined our family.

Now the joy is raising Free Thinking Dogs.  Dogs that are well-mannered and trained members of society.  They still need to be the dogs they are.  Hungarian Pointers with skills and drives hard-wired over ten centuries.

We walk the hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and oceans with the dogs.  They are not "our children" but dogs who live with us.  They get to think for themselves for the most part.  On our walks they go where they want.  They check in with me often to make sure I am around because that is what they want to do.  They love me unconditionally.  They won't leave because they choose not to leave.  Very seldom do I have them come back to me.  I do make it a point to call them to my side a couple times during a walk just to remind them I have to be in control when needed.

So Father's Day 2012.  Two two-legged humans and two four-legged dogs call me dad.  I love them for who they have become, but were already before I met them.  My father skills were limited to letting them find themselves and helping them to learn the "rules of the game."

Life is a game. You have to learn the rules to play the game correctly.  That's where a father comes in.

The game changes over the centuries but the game's basics stay the the same.

First rule: Be the thing that creates and does things in the world.

For the girls it was for one helping people spiritually (psychologist) and for one helping with people's bodies (nurse).  They also are raising kids to be Free Thinkers.

 For my two dogs it is hunting birds and small furry animals.  They both hunt on our walks.  Bailey has the skills and ability to help put food on our table.  Chloe brought me a ground squirrel once.  She thinks she may get one again.  Who knows, she just might.

You can never really loose if you play the game of life to its fullest.

 It's the playing of the game where all the joy is derived from.  It is never about the attainment of the goal its self, but the pursuit of goal.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.  Teach your children well.

Two great books along these thought lines:  Merle's Door and A Dog's Purpose.  Both in my Favorite Book section to the right.