A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DAD

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So Many Decisions

BY BRANDON FOREMAN PHOTO BY ANTHONY GALLO

AS parents, we are faced with so many decisions: where to live, where to send our children to school, and how much is too much? I think sometimes there are just so many options that we sometimes get information overload, and then, we don’t make a decision. After all, have we not all had the classic argument/conversation of “where do you want to eat?” You know how that goes, right? The answers are always, “Anywhere.” … However, every option presented ends up with a “Not there!” reply. So the point of all this is to say that sometimes we can have too much information, we can put too much weight on some decisions, and we may be adding too much unnecessary stress in our lives. Should we really have stress when it comes to picking where to eat dinner? We should be excited and blessed that we have that option to go out to dinner because many are not able to. So, why let it get us upset? Don’t stress yourself out. I’m sure I’m not the first to say it, but don’t sweat the small stuff. I think we could also take some of this advice when it comes to our children. Too many times, we get wrapped up in the small things and think they are such big things, and it causes us to have fights or arguments with our children. If you take a look at the big things, ask yourself, “Is this really that big of a deal? Is this life changing?” If not, remind yourself to not sweat the small stuff. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes there is a time to teach a life lesson or go through something that needs to not feel great or something that needs to be hard, but not everything. So, if you are not in one of those life lesson moments, think about what is going to live longer in the memory of your child. Is it the fact that you got the restaurant you wanted or the argument that your children had to listen to while you choose where to go? My guess is they are going to remember how the decision on where to go was made more than where they went. Remember, your children are always listening, even when you think they are not. Lastly, this article was inspired by a wonderful dinner my wife and I had with some great friends, Anthony and Kasey. We met them for dinner, and to our delight, we did not have to decide where to go. They did it for us, and we had a great dinner with friends in Orange Beach, and as you can see in the picture, we took the advice here and did not sweat the small stuff. When we could not decide on what to order, we just kept ordering everything, and we had a blast. Thanks again Anthony and Kasey for a great evening, and if and when you find yourself in Orange Beach, make sure to go to “Fresh off the Boat.” Trust me, as you can see, everything is amazing. ■

Too many times, we get wrapped up in the small things and think they are such big things, and it causes us to have fights or arguments with our children.

PIC OF THE MONTH

Before they head out for their fishing trip, Isiah and Demante H. take a quick lesson from their dad, Allen, on how to get their fishing poles ready.