Gerry recently threw Jim a pretty stellar laser tag party through Laser Tag Source and it is definitely worth highlighting in this weeks post so prepare your self for some awesome father-son stories that will for sure make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.<\/p>\n
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Hi Gerry! How old is your boy?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Jim\u00a0turned six years old at the end of December!<\/span><\/p>\n What a great age! So what inspired you to throw a laser tag themed birthday party?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Jim\u00a0loves legos!\u00a0 In September, I came across a company who had a booth set up at a local Touch-A-Truck event.\u00a0 They specialized in birthday parties where they would come to your house and set up a lego party centered around anything you wanted.\u00a0So it sounded really cool!\u00a0 For about a month and a half, Jim\u00a0and I were set on the idea of having that be his birthday party.\u00a0 Well, I had met some of Kristina’s family in September as well, and as time went on, I learned of the Laser Tag Source company.\u00a0 I started corresponding with Kristina about doing a survey for the Laser Tag Source website.\u00a0 Between what I learned in our emails and looking at every word, picture, and page on the Laser Tag Source website, I became very interested in the idea of a laser tag birthday party.\u00a0 Now Jim\u00a0loves legos, but he loves laser tag waaaaay more!<\/em>\u00a0 There is a sports park near our house and one of his favorite things to do it to go there and play laser tag.\u00a0 So I talked to him about a laser tag party and then gave him a few days to decide if he wanted a lego party or a laser tag party.\u00a0 I didn’t even finish the question before he yelled “laser tag party!” \u00a0But, I still waited a few days just to make sure, and his answer was still as emphatic. So that’s what we did!<\/span><\/p>\n That’s so cute. I just love hearing about how excited he was about it! How did he end up liking it?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n He absolutely loved it!!\u00a0 He said it was the best birthday party he has ever had or been to!\u00a0 All the guns came several days prior to the event, so not only did we have time to play the day of the party, but of course he wanted to play the several days leading up to the party!\u00a0 We had so much fun!\u00a0 All of the kids that came really loved it as well!\u00a0 There were kids there between age 3-35 playing and everybody was having a blast!\u00a0 Many parents talked about how cool of an idea it was and asked for contact information for Laser Tag Source.\u00a0 He also really loved the setup.\u00a0 I kinda cheaped out and instead of renting LTS barriers, I collected cardboard boxes for a few weeks and then spray painted them for decoration and used those as barriers.\u00a0 I taught my son how to graffiti that day (hahaha) and he helped spray paint a good majority of the boxes!\u00a0 So he enjoyed every aspect of the party!<\/span><\/p>\n Love the creativity! I bet Jim\u00a0really enjoyed helping you decorate. What advice do you have for single dads when it comes to birthday party-planning?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Know your child’s likes and dislikes very well.\u00a0 That can be your stepping stone for which direction you go for the kind of party you will have.\u00a0 Also, keep your child involved in the process. \u00a0Jim loves legos with a passion!\u00a0 We originally thought that would be what his sixth birthday party was going to be.\u00a0 I could have not mentioned this laser tag party to him and stuck with the lego idea.\u00a0 There is no doubt in my mind that he would have very much enjoyed his lego party.\u00a0 But by having him involved in the process and giving him a choice, he got to have the party that he actually wanted, giving him an unforgettable and really great experience.\u00a0 Also, I personally think more of your focus should be on having a good party experience for your child instead of getting him a cool gift that he won’t play with after a couple months or maybe even weeks.\u00a0 I’m not saying have these big MTV Sweet Sixteen birthday parties where you’re spending thousands of dollars; however, I personally like putting more money and effort into\u00a0Jim’s party experience over whatever gift I’m going to give him.\u00a0 And you don’t have to spend a lot of money either to have memorable experiences<\/em>.\u00a0 I remember every single one of my birthday parties growing up (well, from as early as I have memories…).\u00a0 I remember the ones where my parents spent a lot of money for big elaborate go kart tracks, batting cages, and laser tag games just as well as I remember having POG tournaments (I’m showing my age…), playing HORSE in the backyard, or who can pop the most water balloons with a dart.\u00a0 I remember all of my birthday party experiences growing up.\u00a0 The only present I remember from any birthday party was when I got my Donatello dress up gear complete with shell, knee pads, elbow pads and my purple head band. \u00a0But come on people, it was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!\u00a0 My point is, whether you spend a lot of money or a little bit of money, make it a memorable experience, because chances are, they will remember it and cherish those memories far more than whatever gift you get them (unless it’s anything Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)!<\/span><\/p>\n Okay, so I\u00a0completely\u00a0agree with you on trying to make the party memorable over the gift! I remember all of the parties I had as well. Great thinking on your part, Donatello Dad. Now on to the question: What’s your dream gift\u00a0for Father’s Day?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I’m going to go ahead and sound very corny or cliche here and say anything that he makes.\u00a0 My parents always said that growing up, and I thought “yeah right, you’re just being nice so I don’t spend my allowance money on you”.\u00a0 No, I think they truly meant it.\u00a0 Because I truly meant it.\u00a0 The older I get, the less I care about stuff.\u00a0 Around my room right now, I see a canvas that he finger-painted for me with glow in the dark paint when he was 3.\u00a0 I see a framed picture (where he painted and designed the picture frame) of him and I together at a Richmond Kickers game.\u00a0 I see the card that my mom helped him make when he was 4 where it has a picture of him inside of it and he has a giant smile on his face and he is standing in my flip flops that are swallowing his little feet up and it says underneath “My hero!\u00a0 Nobody can ever fill your shoes!” and he has signed the card.\u00a0 I think of the paper on the fridge that he made at church with his handprint on it and coming from each finger is a quote from him giving a reason that he loves me.\u00a0 I think of how just over a week ago, he was sitting at his desk drawing pictures and practicing writing.\u00a0 He walked over to me with a piece of paper and said “Dad, I made this for you!”\u00a0 It was a piece of paper that simply said “I love you”.\u00a0 Nothing more.\u00a0 But that’s all I needed. Those are my dream gifts!<\/span><\/p>\n Wow, so many great gifts! Those are definitely items that you want to\u00a0cherish\u00a0forever.\u00a0What advice do you have for dads raising boys?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0I guess the biggest piece of advice I have is to just be as involved as you possibly can. \u00a0 My ex-wife and I share custody, and the way my work schedule works, I get him 3 1\/2 days in a row, she gets him 5 1\/2 days in a row, and that pattern continues forever. When parents split up, one parent becomes two parents.\u00a0 When I have him, I take him to whichever sports practice he is currently involved in, I take him to and from school, I pack his lunches, I help with homework, I chaperone school field trips, I do things at his school like show up as the mystery reader for the week or teach his class fire safety (since I’m a firefighter\/paramedic) or teach his class about Guatemalan culture (since I go there twice a year for missions), I go on bike rides with him, I take him fishing or swimming at the lake, I take him on cool day trips, I read with him, I teach him things, we play video games together, we play board games together, we talk all the time where I know all about his life (what he likes, dislikes, his favorite things, what he’s been up to), I spend six hours cooking and decorating 128 cupcakes to make a gigantic pixelated Luigi for his party, and I even have awesome laser tag parties thank to Laser Tag Source (<– like the plug??). \u00a0 I’m involved.\u00a0 Do activities.\u00a0 Don’t just let your involvement be sitting mindlessly in front of the television. I do all these things because I love that boy with all my heart and I want to be involved in his life!\u00a0 Hug on your boys<\/em>.\u00a0 Do whatever macho man stuff you want to with them, but hug on them, often.\u00a0 Tell them you love them, often<\/em>.\u00a0 Tell them you’re proud of them, often.\u00a0 Your boy should never have any doubt the way you feel about him.\u00a0 Do these things and teach him love.\u00a0 Whether you are still with their mother, or in a new relationship, teach them the way men should be towards woman.\u00a0 Be that good example that teaches your son how to treat and respect a woman when he grows up and becomes involved in relationships.\u00a0 Christian fathers, do your Christian duty.\u00a0 Proverbs 22:6<\/em> says “Train up a child in the way that he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”\u00a0 Keep them in church.\u00a0 Try and get them involved in church activities.\u00a0 Talk with them about what they learned in church.\u00a0 Talk about God in your home so that He is known to your child.\u00a0Jim and I spent about a year doing a Bible coloring book every night I had him.\u00a0 We get to learn a story from the Bible while reading together, than we colored the corresponding picture together.\u00a0 Be that good example for your child.\u00a0 Your child is watching and will follow what you do.\u00a0 And lastly, just be involved.<\/span><\/p>\n That is incredible advice.<\/strong>\u00a0Your love for your son is so clear through both your actions and your words and it is a\u00a0truly\u00a0beautiful thing! Thank you so much Gerry for being so helpful in this interview and I hope that you have a wonderful fathers day with your Jim!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n -Shae, Laser Tag Source Marketing Intern<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In honor of Fathers Day this coming weekend, we wanted to interview Gerry, a single father of a great kid named Jim. Prepare your self for some awesome father-son stories that will for sure make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[341,333,331],"tags":[11,94,124,101,102,103,314,43,44,14,315],"yoast_head":"\n