This is a proud dad post, a post I’m making about my four children; AJ (13), Gabe (12), Jocelyn (8), and Cordelia (5). All four of my kids are amazing little human beings, each with their own distinct personalities, likes, and dislikes. All four of my kids also have their own unique issues they deal with, which I’ll also discuss a little herein.
Adrian – AKA “AJ” – He knows just about everything about dinosaurs, and can make anything out of clay or legos. AJ has ADHD and is on the Autism spectrum, so he requires a little more help remembering things and learning to respect people’s personal space. He has a hard time making friends but is a very caring individual who loves talking (even though some of what he says is out of context). AJ is very inquisitive and wants to know everything about a subject, such as Judaism, which he has a lot of great questions about and loves going to Jewish school.
Gabriel – AKA “Gabe” – He is a fantastic artist, a very sensitive soul who cares about others’ feelings, and is an avid gamer. Gabe has ADHD, is on the high-functioning end of the Autism spectrum, and has oppositional defiance disorder. Two years ago Gabe came out as bisexual and was rather nervous about it because of my past, but was relieved when we said it’s his choice on who he loves and it doesn’t change a thing about how much we love him. Gabe is incredibly smart and loves asking tough questions, which our rabbi even said he asks adult-level theological questions in Jewish school and the rabbi loves it. He’s also the reigning dreidel champion in our house which earned him the title Gabe “Gimmel” Cook!
Jocelyn – AKA “Princess J-Bird Mermaid” – J-Bird is amazing at hair and makeup for her age, watching countless tutorial videos on YouTube on it and then doing it herself. She also loves doing special effects with makeup, making realistic-looking wounds and bruises she learns how to do on YouTube. She has a learning disability, but she’s fighting through it and getting great at math and much better at reading too. She LOVES Jewish school and lives for the Shabbat every week, already knowing several of the prayers by heart in Hebrew! J-bird also loves art and is getting to be quite the accomplished young artist!!!
Cordelia – AKA “Cordy,” “Cordy-bear,” “Bean” – She LOVES LOVES LOVES baby dolls and has a huge collection of them with no end in sight. She has more baby doll accessories than many real parents have for their actual children. Cordy loves art, animals, hugs, and although she is shy at first, loves to talk your ears off when she warms up to you (and show you all of her dolls lol). She is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids, but that doesn’t stop her from knowing several of the Jewish prayers in Hebrew, by heart. She loves her siblings and sometimes drives them crazy wanting to play with them and be involved in what they’re doing lol
I am a proud father of all four of my littles, and they fill up my life with joy, happiness, and love in ways I couldn’t imagine without them. My kids are all going through the conversion process with my wife and me, each of them are so excited for holidays, learning, and engaging in the Jewish community.