More Milestones

Three March Birthdays

This March is a month of milestones. 

My eldest boy (man) turns 16. He will get his driving permit very soon.

My youngest baby girl turns 1. She will be walking very soon.

My second boy (man) turns 14. He is becoming a man so quickly.

Where does the time go? When I realize these milestones are happening I usually do a little reflection, and get a tinge of guilt. 

Have I been the daddy I am supposed to be? Have I spent the time I should have spent? Have I trained or taught my children the important things that they need to know? Have I spent too much time at work, and not enough face time with each of my awesome kids? What more do I need to teach them? What more do I need to tell them? How much more time do I have with each of them? Are the things I do instead of spend time with them really more important? How can I do better? How can I erase the stupid mistakes I've made? Have I demonstrated to my boys how to be a Husband, Daddy and man of integrity? Have I demonstrated to my girls how they should expect a man to treat them with respect and honor? 

What more do I need to do to help them become the men and women who love God and bless others with their lives?

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Please God, blot out my mistakes and amplify anything I may have done right.

Get it right, folks!

I need to address one of my pet peeves today. I am not a scholar, I did not do well in school and I am certainly not a grammarian. However, I did grow up in a home where spoken grammar was important. That being said, when I read many posts on FaceBook, I am appalled by the simple mistake that is made with regard to than & then. It seems to be a universal mistake, not just the "kids", but also many adults incorrectly interchange these words. I am not sure if this is a breakdown at the education level, or if people just don't care if they are communicating incorrectly.

If you are interested in learning the difference between than & then, then read on. If you want to continue to wallow in your ignorant state while the rest of us pass judgement on your character based on a simple grammatical error, then go back to your rousing game of Farmville....

I need to give credit where credit is due. The following is taken from http://www.grammarist.com, if you want to learn beyond this social conundrum, then follow that link and get learned.

Than vs. then

The difference between than and then is simple: Then usually relates to time, and than helps make comparisons. 

Then

Then is usually an adverb, but it sometimes functions as a noun or adjective. It’s used to describe (1) when something happened, (2) when something was something, or (3) a time when something happened. Here are examples of the three main senses of then:

[1] Lawmakers would then turn their attention to a financial regulatory overhaul, and then pick up where they left off on health care. [Star Tribune]

[2] The then President Olusegun Obasanjo gave him his full backing. [Punch]

[3] By then, he was increasingly viewed like a precocious child whose manner had soured from cute to insufferable. [Gazette Net]

Then is the correct word in if … then constructions—for example, If the book is good, then you should let me read it. This is the only sense in which then doesn’t necessarily relate to time. It’s synonymous with therefore.

Than

Than is a conjunction that assists in making comparisons—for example:

For Wizards, more questions than answers [Washington Post]

Getting excited about my wedding rather than my marriage was a red flag. [Psychology Today]