My Son Likes To Chill Out In The Fridge

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

16 months.

I’m not endorsing letting toddlers play inside refrigerators, but I am admitting that my son likes to chill… by sitting on the inside ledge of the refrigerator.

After I bring him home from daycare and he eats his dinner, Jack has a routine of playing with each of his toys from the living room.

One of his newest favorites is his Fisher-Price lawnmower. He likes to mow the kitchen floor as my wife prepares our dinner.

Of course, like most hardworking toddlers, he treats himself to a much needing break.

As soon as my wife opens up the fridge for some ingredients, Jack seizes the opportunity and plops himself down; always mesmerized by whatever products happen to be sitting there on the bottom ledge of the door.

He makes me think of an old man wearing overalls who walks into a general store as if to say to himself, “Ah, think I’ll just rest here a minute and take a load off.”

By this time of day Jack is just wearing a diaper and a t-shirt and it’s interesting to me that he is always unfazed by the coldness of the surface he is sitting on.

After a minute or so, he grunts his way back up and finishes his job with the mower.

I guess the funniest part about this daily routine is that as his parents, my wife and I completely go along with it; causing him to think it’s completely normal to mow the kitchen floor then take a rest inside the refrigerator.

Yes, it’s scary to think how a big part of my job as his parent is to teach him what is normal.

Classic Magic Moments in Parenting: #2 Snowman Art

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

It’s realizing you’ve been staring too long at a picture of your kid as a snowman and have actually begun to feel sorry for him with those pathetic little stick arms.

Poor kid.

Classic Magic Moments in Parenting: #1 Ghetto Sweatpants

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

It’s that classic magic moment

in parenting

when you can tell

your kid

is embarrassed

to come home wearing

mysterious ghetto community

sweatpants

from daycare.

Kama Sutra For Parents of Young Children

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

14 months.

Just in time for the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I found this helpful illustration of Kama Sutra for us parents with small kids.

Through Facebook, I found it on another daddy blog, called How To Be A Dad. The clever artist behind this picture is Andy Herald.

By now, despite my purposely misleading title, it’s obvious the “Kama Sutra” positions I’m referring to are the hilarious sleeping positions that two parents and a baby end up in when they all share a bed. My personal favorite is “Jazz Hands.”

Back before our son was born, my wife and I fully intended to let our son Jack sleep in the bed with us, but it just never really mutually caught on. Thank God.

What was I thinking?!

For the first several months he slept in his Pack-N-Play next to our bed. Then at 7 months old, I trained him to sleep through the night, in his own bed. (Yes, I’m very proud of myself for that.)

I love my son.

Without hesitation, I would die for him. But I wouldn’t let him sleep in the bed with my wife and I at this point.

It works for a lot of parents. And I honor and respect them doing what works for them.

Here’s the thing: I simply don’t care what other parents do. I have enough to keep me busy.

Sure, I offer up plenty of parenting advice here on The Dadabase, but that’s all it is: advice for parents who are like-minded or at least open-minded in regards to my way of parenting. It doesn’t mean I’m right. It just means I found what works for me and my kid.

Every child is different. And that scares me, because if  (big word) my wife and I end up having another kid, I hate the thought that he or she may not be the kind that will sleep through the night in a separate room and bed down the hall.

I would like to think that my son’s trained sleeping routine is simply because of my deliberate efforts, but what if I’m simply lucky and/or wrong?

In the likeness of Cesar Milan being able to train dogs to make him a 7 course dinner while polishing his shoes and trimming his goatee, I want to believe that I can train any child of mine to sleep through the night in a separate bed.

Only time will tell if I’m right.

Man… I hope I’m right.

*I invite you to check more hilarious illustrations like the one featured here, as well as really cool blog posts about fatherhood, by going to How To Be A Dad. They’re on Twitter too; they have like 85,000 followers!  @HowToBeADad

5 Ways Super Mario Bros. Symbolizes Fatherhood

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

14 months.

It’s funny how a quirky Japanese video game about an Italian plumber who busts bricks by jumping up and hitting them with his fist ever became a phenomenal hit in American culture.

Yet, I don’t know any dad around my age who wasn’t greatly psychologically affected by this unquestionably weird game known as Super Mario Bros. for “regular” Nintendo.

In fact, I have good reason to believe that modern day fatherhood can be easily represented through this nostalgic part of our childhood; which in essence, has become part of our manhood as well.

1. We are constantly working hard to earn money. Sure, it’s more convenient when you have the ability to jump 6 stories high to collect gold coins which are magically floating in the air, but just the same: We as dads are constantly reminded about the need to provide for our family.

2. We have to be strong and not let it show to the world when we are in pain. Mario was able to smash bricks with his fist (and his head?) yet he never bled nor showed any sign of injury. Sure, it’s important we share with our wives what’s really going on inside. But for everyone else, it’s culturally important for us to not go around expressing our concerns about financially providing for our families.

3. We must commit to our decisions and responsibilities. The first Super Mario Bros. was the only one where you couldn’t move back to the previous screen; only forward. Similarly, we as men and dads are dedicated to our families; not looking back to easier days, but instead to the challenges ahead.

4. We continue learning new lessons in fatherhood, therefore passing to the next level. In the way that Mario had to jump as high as he could on the flagpole to complete the level, sometimes we gracefully pass (jumping to the top of the pole) while often we barely get by (landing at the very bottom of the pole).

5. We become accustomed to disappointments, but continue our mission. Fatherhood is full of those “Thank you Mario but our princess is in another castle!” moments. I often feel that the times I figure out how to solve the current puzzle regarding how to get my son to go to sleep or convince him to eat a certain food or something like that, he figures out that I figured him out. Then he finds a new way to challenge me.

I could really go for one of those mushrooms right now. It’s be pretty cool to truly become “Super Dad” where I actually knew what I was doing.

If nothing else,  I’d love to be able to change the burned out headlight on my 2004 Honda Element without ruining the bulb. Who knew that the natural oils from your fingers can actually ruin those stupid things? I think the last time I changed a headlight was on a 1988 Ford Bronco II.

Guess I’m still living in The Eighties.