I am so glad to have a chance to offer a reference for my cousin Jeff and his partner Eric.
Of course, I’ve known Jeff all my life—my dad and his mom are brother and sister. Since my own family moved out of Washington, D.C., Eric and Jeff and have been the family we’ve been closest too by far. And Jeff and Eric have become fixtures in our children’s lives, always eager to care for our three-year-old son, Aaron and, recently, our baby daughter Sophie Linh.Aaron loves spending time with them. When we met Jeff recently at a local bookstore for “storytime,” Aaron burst into giggles when he saw him and for the next week kept asking “Where’s Uncle Jeff? When will we see him?”
Jeff and Eric had all of us and his parents over to dinner last month. It was more than chaotic with Aaron spilling drinks and Sophie Linh crying nonstop. But Eric and Jeff were unfazed as usual. Jeff entertained Aaron with toys he kept in the house for such occasions, and Eric looked after Sophie.
Eric is an accomplished chef, by the way, and adamant about raising children on real food instead of the processed foodstuffs that have become staples with many American families. He and my wife love to talk about food and how to get kids to eat good stuff.
Jeff and Eric are so committed to their families. He was one of only two of my many cousins to come to Vietnam for my wedding in 2003. Of all of our foreign guests, Jeff and Eric were the most interested in getting to know my wife’s Vietnamese family. And they loved joking around and playing with my wife’s young nieces and nephews even though they couldn’t speak their language.
I can’t stress enough how confident I am that Jeff and Eric will be wonderful parents. Thanks for giving me a chance to open a window on the lives of two of my favorite people.
Sincerely,
Mike