family dog tags

lindaloulubbock

I've been looking for something that we could do for the four of us (me, FI, and my 6 yo daughter, and my 4 yo son) that would commemorate the day we officially become a family.

I was thinking about doing dog tags for each of us with our name and maybe the wedding date on them.  I wanted something that wasn't too over-the-top, but that would be something we could keep.

right1thistime

I think its cute and reasonable.  Is their father involved in their life?  That might make it just a little stickier. 

lindaloulubbock

He is, but I'm not getting them printed as "Mom" and "Dad" or anything like that.  Just each person's name  on their own tag with the date on the back, so they wouldn't all four say me, FI, S, D. Each person's would just say their own name.  At 4 and 6, I can't imagine they're going to wear them all that often, either, so I doubt he would even know about them unless the kids told him.   

Do you think just the date being there is enough to cause some kind of issue?  

[Deleted User]

I think this is a very sweet idea! Maybe add the kids birthstones on yours & you could add yours to your bouquet for the wedding. Also have you considered you and your FI putting them on the kids during the ceremony? Just my thoughts.  

mybooboos

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_family-dog-tags?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:35Discussion:cfb15da9-046b-4273-91f7-33e080fe06e3Post:c3f91cbb-4251-44a4-a688-87a164c269a3">Re: family dog tags</a>:
[QUOTE]He is, but I'm not getting them printed as "Mom" and "Dad" or anything like that.  Just each person's name  on their own tag with the date on the back, so they wouldn't all four say me, FI, S, D. Each person's would just say their own name.  At 4 and 6, I can't imagine they're going to wear them all that often, either, so I doubt he would even know about them unless the kids told him.    <strong>Do you think just the date being there is enough to cause some kind of issue?  
</strong>Posted by lindaloulubbock[/QUOTE]

It's a sweet idea, but be careful with the date. Having the date there may give them a negative reminder of the day that you and their father were no longer together (most kids, regardless of age, think that their parent's divorce is not permanent, until someone gets remarried). At 4 & 6, much of this will go over their heads, so they may not care as much about this as you do.

Good luck!

right1thistime

I don't think just the date would cause an issue.  Maybe you could buy them bears to put them on, to keep track of them, if you don't think they will wear them. 

I think just giving them to the kids is plenty, they are young. 

Marrin713

Like military dog tags or Dog dog tags?  Sorry, I guess I just can envision this.  What would they look like?

lindaloulubbock

Like military tags.

My kids might be kind of strange or just too young, but they never seemed to expect that I would get back together with their father.  On the rare occasion it comes up, they ask if their dad can live here with us (FI included).  They don't really see him a substitute or someone replacing their dad, but as an extra person to love.  They haven't let on that they have any negative feelings about the wedding, and I'm pretty sure they'd tell me if they did. 

I don't think we'll give them out during the ceremony, as I'm very staunchly of the mind that marriage is really between adults (and kids don't choose a new stepparent), but I do want them to have some kind of reminder of the day when FI officially chose them to be his family, if that makes any sense.  He's not just any normal stepdad, he's embraced the role, and he really thinks of the kids as his own.  I'm very lucky--we've really been blessed with easy transitions and children who have such big hearts that they're just happy to have extra people to love.

 

lindaloulubbock

I picked them up yesterday, and I'm having a hard time waiting to wear mine!

I didn't tell FI about it either, it will be my gift to the three of them either at the RD or privately on the morning of the wedding.  

I'm more than a little ticked that Things Remembered talked me into un upcharge font without telling me it was an upcharge font.  I assumed the series he showed me was the basic fonts, and I actually passed over one I liked better (that was basic) to avoid the upcharge.  Grr.