Sunday, May 8, 2011

Catching Up... (with a bit of rambling)

It has been a long while since my last post. Sorry for the long delay, Alissa tells me I'm not a good 'blogger' due to my lack of consistency, I've been called worse.

Oliver has been moving around like crazy and he's into EVERYTHING. This is nothing new for parents of children older than 9 months but it has been life changing for me. I have to admit, life is much more fun now that he is moving. I like being on my toes, all the time. Plus spring is finally here in Boston, so that helps too.

I really feel sorry for parents that are naturally 'Type A' and try and take that approach to parenting. Kids are the most unpredictable creatures I have ever been around. I can't imagine trying to keep a tight schedule and live life pre-planned once a kid arrives.

For myself, I subconsciously set a few vague long term and short term goals (I actually write a 'to-do' list for daily goals) and then I try and keep the ten-thousand daily distractions (that run thru my head) from derailing me completely. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't but tomorrow is another day.

Here is my approach to raising Oliver, (if it doesn't work there are always second and third kids, HA.) I know the type of man I want him to be and I know the type of person I want him to be in society. I want him to be a confident person, that treats others with respect. I want him to be a person that works hard and sticks with something even when things get real hard. I also want him to never take himself too seriously (confidence) and I want him to keep a good sense of humor about everything (sanity). The rest of what he becomes is up to him.

So, on a daily basis we work on; making each other laugh, making silly faces and sounds, exploring new things, taking chances (him more than me), and trying new things. The only planned activities are naps (which may or may not happen as planned) reading time, play time, meals (when he's hungry), and spending time outside. And, most importantly, I focus on enjoying every minute I spend with him. Oliver is a special person and I want him to know I love him no matter what.

Sometimes all this stuff happens, sometimes it doesn't, but tomorrow is another day and we can try it again.

Having only one kid I have had nothing to base my parenting style on. I haven't known if I was doing a good job or if Oliver was behind other kid's his own age. This was until Oliver and I started his Jelly Jams class. (It's a class for infants and parents to go and learn songs, dances, rhythm, sign language, etc.) Oliver is the best kid in the whole class (biased opinion) top two with out question or bias. I feel much better about my parenting thus far after comparing him to a small group of other 9 month olds. And, if my little man keeps his outgoing personality and current good looks (eyes, smile and hair) the little guy is going places. (If he wants to go places)

Talk to you again in a couple of months.

1 comment:

  1. Great post!! You are a good daddy! I've been checking your post every few days and hadn't seen any new posts in months. Then I figured out that somehow it was stuck on the last post that I commented on. If Julie hadn't asked for blog addresses I probably wouldn't have ever figured it out! ha Now I can keep up.

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