Seeing a parent be present in their childโs life warms my soul. Making memories with your children is one of the best parts of being a dad (and mom), because theyโll 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 heโs 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, โYou are a ninja!โ Wil nonchalantly replies, โYep.โ
Other shots with his son involve Wil calling his dad โbutt cheek,โ going down a creek in inner tubes, and roasting hotdogs together. The next moment, Alanโs teasing his son and asking if he farted on his bed. Wil laughs and then answers honestly, โYes.โ Alan then prompts him, โMom taught you that?โ and Wil says, โYes.โ 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 โsee the world through his eyes,โ so to speak. You can tell thereโs never a dull moment between these two. Wil is the familyโs fifth child and, after his birth, the family was quickly informed he had Down Syndrome.
On Alanโs blog, he talks about Wilโs 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 Alanโs eyes.
Whatโs particularly wholesome is that this is a very common occurrence on Alanโs 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 โflyingโ where heโs photoshopped above his siblings in different parts of the world. As his dad says on his blog, โWe know that Wil is going to do anything he puts his mind to โ Wil Can Fly.โ Now that’s what I call good parenting!
