since9
Campaign Veteran
All last summer, during this past Thanksgiving, and for the last week during Christmas, I've been OCing with my son. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to visit anywhere near as often as I'd like, but when he does, I want him to know a few things.
Of utmost importance is integrity, from Prov 20:7: "A righteous man who walks in integrity; How blessed are his sons after him." My 6-month devotional paraphrases it this way:
I love that! It harkens back to when I used to hear "You gotta walk the walk, before you can talk the talk."
So why do I OC with my son?
1. To protect the both of us on the unlikely, but possible, chance of a BG doing something he should which might put either of us in jeopardy of life or limb.
2. To deter any such BG from pulling something stupid in the first place, particularly if it involved harming my son in any way.
3. As an avenue of sharing with my son the rights and freedoms we enjoy in our country, and why it's important to exercise them on a regular basis, not only for the purposes for which they were intended, but as a routine way of life, so as to keep those avenues wide open, while keeping the supporting structure and machinery fully-functional and well-oiled.
As he and I were shopping for groceries on Wednesday, a child about the same age as my son asked me, "May I ask you a question?" "Absolutely," I replied. "Is that a real gun?" he asked, with awe in his eyes. "Yes it is," I responded with a smile. He then asked if he could touch it, to which I said, "No, I'm afraid not. Real guns are not toys." He thought for a moment before his mom called him back to her cart, scolding him for wandering off (fifteen feet for a 10-yr-old) and my son (also 10) and I resumed working our way through our list.
As we were walking out of the store, I said, "I hope you weren't embarrassed by that..." but didn't have time to finish before he said, "Of course not, Dad. I like it when you open carry."
I thought for a moment, then said, "Really? Why's that?"
He said, "Well, it just seems normal. I feel safer when you're carrying."
I could have hugged the snot out of him right about then, and in fact, I did just that! :dude:
Of utmost importance is integrity, from Prov 20:7: "A righteous man who walks in integrity; How blessed are his sons after him." My 6-month devotional paraphrases it this way:
"The best way to teach character is to have it around the house."
I love that! It harkens back to when I used to hear "You gotta walk the walk, before you can talk the talk."
So why do I OC with my son?
1. To protect the both of us on the unlikely, but possible, chance of a BG doing something he should which might put either of us in jeopardy of life or limb.
2. To deter any such BG from pulling something stupid in the first place, particularly if it involved harming my son in any way.
3. As an avenue of sharing with my son the rights and freedoms we enjoy in our country, and why it's important to exercise them on a regular basis, not only for the purposes for which they were intended, but as a routine way of life, so as to keep those avenues wide open, while keeping the supporting structure and machinery fully-functional and well-oiled.
As he and I were shopping for groceries on Wednesday, a child about the same age as my son asked me, "May I ask you a question?" "Absolutely," I replied. "Is that a real gun?" he asked, with awe in his eyes. "Yes it is," I responded with a smile. He then asked if he could touch it, to which I said, "No, I'm afraid not. Real guns are not toys." He thought for a moment before his mom called him back to her cart, scolding him for wandering off (fifteen feet for a 10-yr-old) and my son (also 10) and I resumed working our way through our list.
As we were walking out of the store, I said, "I hope you weren't embarrassed by that..." but didn't have time to finish before he said, "Of course not, Dad. I like it when you open carry."
I thought for a moment, then said, "Really? Why's that?"
He said, "Well, it just seems normal. I feel safer when you're carrying."
I could have hugged the snot out of him right about then, and in fact, I did just that! :dude: