Life Lessons with Dad

as a dad, it's my job to teach the kids stuff. besides the usual good morals, proper etiquette, and bible stories, there are the practical, real life lessons that every child should be equipped with. a set of how to's, if you will. take the art of trimming nosehair, for example. we've all seen that guy in the grocery store with the crop of disgusting, dangling nosehair. why doesn't he trim that booger bush? simply put, he probably doesn't know how. as a child, no one gave him the proper tools to weed the ol' nose garden.

well, far be it from me to let my kids stumble through life with nostril hamsters.

which brings us to the life lesson of the day....shaving.

while getting ready to go out for lunch this afternoon, johnathon asked me if he could shave before dressing. having turned 7 yrs old recently, he has decided maintaining a freshly shaved countenance should be a part his big boy regiment. so, needing a good shave myself, i invited him to join me. before long, there were three of us bellied up to the sink ready to begin. (as it is, sarah has the same amount of facial hair as jonathon, so i didn't see the harm.)

unbeknownst to most, the Incredible Hulk makes a very fine shaving cream. cool and soothing with a hint of aloe. jonathon got the shaving cream, along with a sweet, plastic razor a few birthdays ago and takes great pride in keeping it next to mine.

after splashing water on our faces and smearing on a healthy lather, we were ready for business. at one point, sarah asked if she would have to continue shaving her face when she got big. we all hoped not, agreeing it would be a little awkward for her brothers if she could grow a nicer goatee than them. after rinsing, we checked each other for stray hairs, cleaned up our mess, and went to find mom. (traditionally, the shaving experience is not complete until mom smells our newly shorn faces). oddly enough, jen was not exactly down with the idea of her daughter shaving; but smelled her face nonetheless. the final photo shows us stroking our, oh soooo soft and smooooth faces.

next life lesson for the kids: the art of arranging head hair to divert unsolicited attention to that sneaky, receding hair line.

p.s. you may have noticed that neither christian nor elijah participated in our shaving adventure. well, it has come to my attention that they are each nursing a delicate patch of peach fuzz and felt it would be ludicrous to remove their tender sprigs of manhood so soon. good luck with that, guys.