PregnancyFamilyEducation Blogs
March 2008 Archive
March 31st, 2008
Baseball statistics and parenting
The 2008 baseball season has barely started and I’m already reminded of what drives me absolutely nuts about America's pastime: The endless stats. And baseball, more than any other sport – is married to its statistics.
From the “fist time the home pitcher has struck out the side in the top of the first inning followed by a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first” to “the most extra base hits” – I was just about set to throw Kolby’s guitar through the TV.
[more]
March 30th, 2008
Check another “first” off the list
There are any number of “first” experiences that bring parents together. Whether it’s the first word, first steps, or first time the kid sleeps through the night, we all have our own collection of “first” that we often share. (K-Man’s first word was “Harley,” which sounded more like “Ollie,” but still thrilled me to no end.)
There are also any number of experiences that parents of older kids have, but other parents haven’t “yet” had the pleasure. [more]
March 27th, 2008
Karma's a bitch
K-Man, G and I were at the local kiddie crack house disguised as a pizza place last night. The Kid was running around from one shiny object (pinball!) to the next (drive the car!) with all the enthusiasm (and lack of success) of a dog chasing its tail.
In the midst of this excitement, I needed to use the facilities, which meant G had to leave her Caesar salad (strangely great for such a place) to watch K-Man. [more]
March 26th, 2008
(Nick)name calling
This morning, like most others, started with my answer to the daily rooster-like call from a toddler. Instead of “[filtered word]-a-doodle-doo,” it was “Moooomyyyyyyy!!!” Fortunately, this call-of-the-child doesn’t happen at sunrise. The kid is good that way.
I walked into his room to get the day started with the usual morning greeting, “Good morning, K-Man! [more]
March 25th, 2008
Get well soon
I spent the better part of the day yesterday in a hospital room. And, when I wasn’t in the room, the rest of the day was spent waiting to hear news about my 86-year-old father-in-law’s double knee replacement surgery. Although this procedure didn’t have the urgency of the emergency abdominal aorta aneurism operation he had a few years ago, any surgery is risky business, and priorities are firmly jolted back to their rightful place.
March 23rd, 2008
Oh cr*p!
As dads and moms, we’re all familiar with the “parenting gods.” Cousins of the “golf gods,” who are constantly reminding golfers that any success they have on the course is merely a gift from said gods, the parenting gods are constantly reminding parents that any peace they have on a daily basis is a similar, if not more important, gift.
The first few months of parenting are the gods’ way of telling you who is boss. “Thou shall not sleep,” of course, is the first commandment of early parenting. [more]
March 20th, 2008
Just kick me in the...
The first words anyone (other than my wife or kid) said to me today were, “Oh, did K-Man forget to wear his costume this morning?” The look on my face must have said, “Oh, f*#$%!” But, I played it off with a calm, “No, we tried to get him into his costume this morning, but he didn’t want to wear it.”
March 20th, 2008
Two-and-a-half years and counting
We’re trying to teach K-Man to answer, “Two-and-a-half” to the all-too-frequent question (mostly from strangers) of, “How old is she?” (Yes, because he has longish hair, people assume he’s a little girl. I’m thinking of getting him a T-shirt that says, “Before you say anything, please know that I have a penis.”) Holy crap, the kid is two-and-a-half. Based on the sometimes crazy way he acts these days, I’m surprised he doesn’t answer the “How old are you?” question with “Why? What effing business is that of yours, anyway?”
[more]
March 19th, 2008
That's just life
I write for a living. Not only blogs like this one, but also parenting books, creative plans, advertising, Web copy, corporate messaging and even the occasional real estate brochure. As a result, I’m almost always facing an avalanche of deadlines. Even this very site requires me to post content four or five times a week. Sometimes, however, I simply can’t find the stuff to write about. It’s not that I’m “blocked,” but instead, I’m flat out cooked. Just done. Life gets the better of me.
I struggle greatly on these days. [more]
March 17th, 2008
19 hours
G and I dropped off K-Man at her parents' house at 5:30 PM on Saturday night and picked him up at 12:30 on Sunday afternoon. We were gone for 19 hours. And it felt like a lifetime.
• We went to a great dinner at a place we’ve been dying to try.
• We drank some good wine.
• We went to a friend’s 40th b’day party (QUITE different from mine).
• We stayed in San Francisco for the night.
• We went out to brunch on Sunday morning.
[more]
