What is your name and your children’s names and ages?
My name is John and I have three wonderful children; Andrew (17), Lauren (14), and Kayla (12). They all very different personalities!
How did you decide on your children’s names?
We knew we wanted a strong name for our son and we always loved the name Lauren. Kayla was a name our niece suggested and we loved it.
How did you decide what your kids would call you?
Because I was married to a woman for 17 years before coming out, I was always Daddy or Dad to them all.
How did you decide on their last name? Is it hyphenated?
They have kept the same last name since our divorce.
What were you most afraid of about becoming a parent?
Parenting is exciting, scary, challenging, rewarding, stressful – and one of the best experiences I’m so very fortunate to be able to have. I’m constantly worried or concerned that I’m going to screw them up somehow and want to make sure they are good little/big humans when they leave my sight.
What is the most rewarding part of being a parent?
Having someone say to me “your son/daughter/children are so polite and helpful…..” is the best feeling. As well as seeing them succeed in whatever they are passionate about – from school to sports.
What do you do for fun as an entire family?
All three kids are competitive swimmers so we have a very busy schedule during our week (as we as my traveling for work). We love watching movies as a family and try to have a family holiday every year or two. This past summer I took the three of them to the East coast (Nova Scotia and PEI) and had the absolute best time.
Describe your parenting style.
Given that my kids spend a week on/week off with me and my ex, we do everything possible to be on the same page when raising our kids. Which can be challenging to make sure they don’t pull any fast moves on us. (Although I’m likely the stricter one between the two homes. Ha!). So I continue to bring them to church with me as I feel it’s very important to have faith these days. It’s tough raising kids and teenagers now a days. I think kids need to have parents who are willing to say No and stick to the answer No. Otherwise they will never understand what it’s like to NOT get their way – leading them to reflect and think about why the answer was No in the first place.
I’m a lucky Dad. I couldn’t be more proud of them all.
Finish this sentence “To me, family is….”
…sharing and experiencing life and love and all the joy and sorrow that comes with growing up individually and together as a family.
