Oddities, Profundities, Profanities and Dad Stuff
Hello all. Well here we are mid February. Winter is waning here in Utah, with temperatures are climbing into the 50’s and all of the snow almost gone. Here is where I have issues with winter.
Dogs in Grange Park, Toronto, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Now, I don’t mind the cold, or the snow, what I mind is the pending spring, and all of the mud and gunk that goes with it. Continue reading
Black recliner (arm chair) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For quite a long time now, it seems my wife and I have not had our own bed. Starting with my oldest, when she was just getting into her own “big girl” bed, she would join us in our bed at night. Made for a long night some days, with a wiggly toddler in the bed. We ended up putting a “princess bed” on the floor that she slept in until she got tired of that and then stayed in her own bed. That worked for her and my older son, but hasn’t worked out as well for my younger daughter and now my youngest son.
Amelia, my youngest is the one with a kidney transplant. She has been very clingy since the transplant, and she doesn’t do too bad staying in a “princess bed” or on the recliner. My youngest son however…… He doesn’t want to stay anywhere, except our bed. He says his bed is “itchy”. at least he has a reason. We are trying to get him into his own special bed or the recliner, but it is a fight. He likes “mommy’s bed”. It wouldn’t be too bad, except that he likes to kick and push and keeps us from sleeping well.
Hopefully, this is a phase that is wearing out. Last night, he managed to stay in his own bed. That is either a happy coincidence, or the start of something good. Has anyone else had this problem? Is this just my problem? Anyone?
Comments are below…
-Justin
Hello all. So I am back to writing my Friday posts all about being a Stay at Home Dad.
Last night I had a strange thought. I was getting in the shower and there were no naked barbies in the tub. Let me tell you, there is a creepiness that Mattel never intended with a Barbie doll that is your daughter playing with them in the bath, and subsequently leaving them there. Without clothes. Why? “Well Daddy, she can’t bath with her clothes on.” was the logic from my oldest daughter, though she would probably deny that now.
Playing with the barbies in the bath would not be so bad, it is when I would go to take a shower and there were 10 of the things naked in the tub. Made me feel quite creepy to tell the truth. But last night there were no naked barbies. Sure I had to clean up some hot wheels cars and a boat, but no barbies. I had almost a nostalgic twang before the elation crept in.
My kids are growing up. My youngest daughter is almost 9, and she rarely plays in the bath anymore, and when she does, she cleans up the toys. The older kids just shower. It is only my 4 year old son who has the bulk of the bath toys, and his are not barbie.
Mainly, I start thinking about how my kids are growing up, and the things that we are losing, or more correctly, just done with. We start cleaning out things to send to charity, and many of the toys that we have accumulated over the years are not relevant or just not being played with anymore. We don’t want to hang on to these, we don’t want to move them again. We have thought about saving some for grandkids to play with in the future, but, looking at it, why bother? By the time we have grandkids and unpack these wonderful (?) toys that we have saved, the plastic will be brittle, pieces will be lost, and there will be so many other new toys out there that it doesn’t make sense to save anything.
Some other things have gone away as well. My favorite thing to get rid of was the diaper genie. Now, the diaper pail is a great invention, and the diaper genie is great because it holds in some of the smell, but I’ll tell you, the day we thew that thing in the garbage 2 years ago I danced a jig. We have finally now got rid of all diapers and pull ups. Some days I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, it is easier to toss a pull up than wash out tiny underwear, but….I have a whole other post about potty training coming up.
In the end, there are some pangs of nostalgia for the things that we had to have when the kids were babies and now don’t need anymore. There are strange feelings when you realize your daughter, your little girl, the one you held most of the first night when she was born the day before yesterday (now 14 years) now needs deoderant, or a bra….don’t get me started. Or when your son starts to leak body odor like an Exxon tanker, and it is time for his deoderant. Or when it is finally time to stop helping your kids bathe because they are just too old and it is not appropriate.
Yes there will be new things. in about a year and a half, there will be a drivers license for my oldest, some pretty significant church stuff for my son, and school starting for the youngest. Holy cow, I am getting old. But I wouldn’t trade this for the world.
Until later,
-Justin
As you know by now, my wife and I welcomed number 4 into our family 2 weeks ago. It has been wild this week as he has only been home for this week. We have been trying to get him trained to sleep at night, as well as remember what it is like to raise an infant.
My youngest daughter is now 4 and I kind of took for granted the independent and “grown up” ways of a 4 year old, not to mention 7 and 10. I have been trying to remember how to be the complete caregiver to an infant. Strangely, it is not difficult to handle 4 kids when the older ones are so helpful.
Here is the rub, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. We have always wanted 4 kids and now we have been blessed with 2 boys and 2 girls. Our family is now complete. While I wouldn’t trade this experience I am glad we are finished having our family and getting ready for the next step in our lives.
Family is very important. Family is the only thing that will endure any other trial or hardship. As you go into this weekend remember your family. If you have kids, do something with them that doesn’t include electricity. Go play baseball, go fishing, read them a story. Just spend time doing something that isn’t distracting.
If you don’t have kids, do something without electricity with your significant other. Or even go by yourself. Get away from the computer, the television and all of it. Go be with your family.
Have a great weekend folks.
-Justin
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