I've Been Watching You

Do you know the song "I've Been Watching You" by Rodney Atkins? I don't listen to a lot of country music, but there are some songs that just get me every time I hear them. This is one of them. They lyrics go like this:

Drivin’ through town just my boy and me
With a Happy Meal in his booster seat
Knowin’ that he couldn’t have the toy ‘til his nuggets were gone.
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath.
His fries went a flyin’, and his orange drink covered his lap
Well, then my four year old said a four letter word
It started with “S” and I was concerned
So I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to talk like that?”

He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-Doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”

He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We like fixin’ things and holding momma’s hand
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do; so I’ve been watching you"

With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug.
Said, “My little bear is growin’ up.”
And he said, “But when I’m big I’ll still know what to do.”

"‘Cause I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
By then I’ll be strong as superman
We’ll be just alike, hey, won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do.
‘cause I’ve been watchin’ you."

This describes Trevor and Tristen so much. It must be a normal little boy/daddy thing, but when you see it up close and personal it really puts things into perspective. Tristen loves Trevor so much - if Trevor is home, Tristen wants to be right there next to him. If given the choice to ride with mommy or ride in the Jeep with daddy, there's no question about who he's riding with. Mommy's car just isn't as hip and cool as the Jeep, AND (bonus) daddy's driving the Jeep. Over the summer when Trevor worked on his lawnmower, Tristen was busy working on his own little $6plastic push mower. He fixed the warbler bearings (Trevor told him all about how to fix THIS particular part), the tires, the pull string, the fan ... everything daddy taught him to fix. They play cars, build towers with blocks, read books, watch Transformers and now ... they play pow pows. Trevor is in heaven! As most of you know, Trevor is a huge fan of guns. He spent 9 years in the military and has hunted from the time he was old enough to do so. These days, Trevor and Tristen spend the evenings shining their flashlights out into the yard to see if they can "see deer". I know what's coming next. :}

So, it was no surprise to me when I returned home from Bible study on Thursday night to find the two of them like this:

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

WE are responsible for our child's spiritual well-being. The world offers many many distractions, but if we do our part as parents, Tristen will understand how to make good and Godly decisions and grow to be a man of strong character. That is what we want most for our son.

In the meantime, he and Trevor can probably be found playing in the living room or hanging out in the backyard fixing their lawnmowers. Its a daddy/son thing.