December 23, 2003
Parental Compromises
One of the toughest parts of being new parents is knowing when to say when. I am pretty laid back about the baby. I pretty much assume he'll get sick, he'll eat gross things, he'll cause problems and one day wreck my car. Kerry on the other hand is more uptight, wanting to protect him from everything. I'm thinking now about where do we draw the line between letting Jackson run amock in filth and keeping him in a plastic bubble.
Here are some things you can't do as a parent:
Take a sick baby to the doctor. There are sick people there. Particularly nasting kids who don't cover their mouths when they cough.
Go anywhere without the baby. I mean anywhere. I had to carry the lil' dude into the post office the other day to buy stamps and I was scared to death I would ship him firstclass to China.
Enjoy Television. No more movies or adult-oriented cartoons. I actually caught myself covering his eyes during a violent scene in a movie the other day. No more movies that aren't rated G.
Dressing the baby to match your own outfit. He'll just spit up all over it, so unless your wearing something oatmeal-ly don't even worry about it.
I guess I'm coming around. I realize now that kids are walking germ-magnets that bring infection into the home. No more walking him in the cold air without being completely covered up by a blanket. No more letting just anybody say Hello to Jack without smacking their dirty hands away from his. No more letting the house get dirty and dusty, or letting Jackson do the Swiffer Baby thing on the hardwood.
I love being a Daddy to my son. Daddy Day Care this week has been awesome and I couldn't ask for a more wonderful kid. I can imagine being a househusband, Mr. Mom, staying home with the kid(s), it would be awesome. It's hard not knowing exactly what to do, never feeling like you've done enough, or can get everything done you need to, but it's an enjoyable stress with big ol' smiles as a payment for every attention paid to the boy.
Posted by cmwillis at December 23, 2003 10:03 AM | TrackBack