Once upon a time my father wanted six strapping sons so he could walk down the street with them and insult people. Fotunately of his five children only two were sons. The daughters were too sensible to be part of such action and the oldest son was too sensitive. By the time the youngest son was old enough my father had mellowed to the point where he no longer wanted to insult people.

Wes, you are on your way. Now you have to choose. Will you raise sensitive artists or arrogant fighters? *BG*

By the way, try as you might, you only have a limited input and then only in those formative years. Then the peers take over and you get to watch your hard work tumble down around your ears. Surround those kids with good role models and you stand a fighting chance.

Example overheard in the schoolyard:
"Gotta match? I got a joint."
"Naw, ask her!"
"No good, they're the Benzing kids. They're chem free."
"But he's one of the coolest kids in school!"

That is the value of loving and honoring kids, showing them the value of clean living, being honest about your own foibles and mistakes, trusting them to make good decisions, praising their good decisions and letting them know you are there for them when they screw it up.

One last aside, Wes - your wife's name! I love it. I never thought to see a feminine version of my own. Brett is a rare enough name in it's own right but Bretta is wonderful. The names you've chosen for your kids are great too.

Best of luck to you and yours.