Seeing a parent be present in their child’s life warms my soul. Making memories with your children is one of the best parts of being a dad (and mom), because they’ll carry those memories for life. A good example of an active parents is Alan Lawrence, a Utah father of seven who runs his own blog and advocates for adoption with his wife. Recently, he took his son Wi, who has down syndrome, on a camping trip. He documented some special moments that are as sweet and gooey as a warm, chocolate chip cookie.
Alan posted the adorable experience on his TikTok named after his blog, That Dad Blog. You see Alan and Wil standing in a campground area, where Wil insists he’s a ninja. He then asks his son if he can break a stick, so he picks a large stick off the ground and breaks it over his leg. When Alan proclaims, “You are a ninja!” Wil nonchalantly replies, “Yep.”
Other shots with his son involve Wil calling his dad “butt cheek,” going down a creek in inner tubes, and roasting hotdogs together. The next moment, Alan’s teasing his son and asking if he farted on his bed. Wil laughs and then answers honestly, “Yes.” Alan then prompts him, “Mom taught you that?” and Wil says, “Yes.” Later in the day they go out and find fireflies, which I do with my kids every year!
Alan recorded their sweet father-son moments as a way to “see the world through his eyes,” so to speak. You can tell there’s never a dull moment between these two. Wil is the family’s fifth child and, after his birth, the family was quickly informed he had Down Syndrome.
On Alan’s blog, he talks about Wil’s birth and the worries he had as a father. He wondered if Wil would ever talk or if he would have lingering health problems throughout his life. Ever since his birth, every day with Wil has clearly been a blessing in Alan’s eyes.
What’s particularly wholesome is that this is a very common occurrence on Alan’s social media. He and his wife, Nikki, once went viral for honoring and bringing awareness to down syndrome, using the hashtag #wilcanfly. When Wil was learning how to crawl, he would wiggle his legs on the ground and he looked like he was flying.
So, the family posted photos of him “flying” where he’s photoshopped above his siblings in different parts of the world. As his dad says on his blog, “We know that Wil is going to do anything he puts his mind to – Wil Can Fly.” Now that’s what I call good parenting!
