Dear Joel,

Please fully love our children as they learn their way
and know that our divorce touches them each and every day

Please be patient with them as they try to find where to fit
in a blended, mixed family that's coming together bit by bit

Please help me teach them the "Golden Rule" by standing tall
And that sometimes staying silent is better than saying anything at all.

Please give them someone to look up to and want to strive to be
and remember these children are our sole responsibility

Please be gentle with their hearts so tender and pure
Sometimes a good cry can beat an answer or cure

Please be there for them when they need to talk
or they will put up walls and doors will start to lock

Please be happy for them when they are out having fun
and listen as they talk about what new adventure has just begun

Please support their growth and show them love and respect
And explain to those boys that nobody is expected to be perfect

Please speak with them of memories of days past
Even if those times of us all being together didn't last

Please reinforce that they were created by a love between me and you
and show them that even the best laid plans sometimes don't come true

Please try to be respectful of me and remember that I'm their mother
and no matter where our lives will lead, they will have no other

Please only talk highly of my life and of my family
and try to remember this is their blood line - their family tree

Please teach them their history - that of my family and yours
And the things love has overcome- feast, famine, and wars

Please teach them about their strength; it can be quiet or bold
and tell them their future is only their own, a story yet to be told

Please teach them about life lessons with all the support you can
and that how they deal with each situation is what really makes them a man.

Please encourage them to try their best and dream really big dreams
and regardless of what house they are in, we are all really one big team.

Please just continue to be a good dad and love those boys, like I know you do
and be comforted to know that they love no one quite like they love you.