The only problem with daycare is that sometimes it closes.
This has been a trying holiday week at the G & G household, and there are still a few days left. It's weird that I can't wait to go back to work so that I can relax a little bit, but here we are. Lil' S has been really difficult lately, and I'd much rather sit in a cubicle and debug computer code than listen to his incessant whining. It's not his fault, of course; he's only two and still might be a bit sick. It's not like he's purposefully driving us up the wall (it only feels that way), but up the wall we are driven, just the same. (Plus, every so often, he does something super cute, and it's like, "aww ... how can we be annoyed now?" He knows when to play the charm card.)
To make matters worse, S is still not feeling 100%, and that stomach bug I mentioned in my last entry finally got me. It was awful. I wasn't throwing up, but things were very loose on the other end. It was my worst case of the runs since India. The bad thing about diarrhea -- other than the fact it's incredibly uncomfortable and fucking disgusting -- is that it dehydrates you. And what's more, in a cruel twist of irony, it often leaves you constipated when it's over. It's like you are freezing in the icy tundra, and then somebody sets you on fire. (Hey, that would make a good poem.) You don't get better; you just get a different malady. And that's what happened to me (constipation, not being set on fire). I think it's finally over. I said a nice big, solid puja this morning, if you get my drift. But things were pretty backed up there for a few days.
Anyway ...
Happy New Year! 2015. That's insanity. My life went so slowly up until 1992, and since then it's been a blur. I went from getting my first pube to going bald in a snap. There are all sorts of factoids one can relay to demonstrate how fast time has been going (like that we are now in the "future" according to Back to the Future 2). But here's a weird one that hit me the other day: The Breaking Bad finale was almost a year and a half ago. I came to this realization looking through some old football highlights, as I remember it was on at the same time as a Seahawks-49ers Sunday Night Football game. (Sports really are the ultimate time-keeper.) I remember being bummed that I could only watch one of the game and the finale in real-time. But then a lightning storm hit Seattle and they had to stop the game for about an hour, and it was almost perfectly in sync with the east coast airing of the finale. (I don't think there is a God, but if there is, he was smiling on me that night.) I watched Walt annihilate the Neo-Nazis and die in something resembling peace (spoiler alert!), and then without missing a beat I watched the 'Hawks destroy the Niners and take over the NFC West (another spoiler alert!). It was a good night. But in remembering it, the thing that strikes me the most is that it happened in September -- 2013! A whole other football season ago, and it was at the beginning of the season! It feels like six months ago tops.
Another, more personal, example of time passage, of course, is that Lil' S is almost two-and-a-half now. Since becoming a parent, one thing I like to do is read stupid parenting articles that people post on Facebook, even though they annoy me. Actually, I think it's precisely because they annoy me that I read them -- it's troll reading. The latest one making the rounds is this one: It's the writer's response to a story about two parents handing out goody bags to the other passengers on a flight on which they brought their young child. The author's point is that they shouldn't do this because "they’re part of a dangerous trend: People apologizing, or being made to feel they should apologize, for having children." A lot of my Facebook friends have "liked" this article. But I have a different take on it. It's twofold: 1) I don't think there is such "trend", dangerous or otherwise, 2) Who gives a fuck?
This has been a trying holiday week at the G & G household, and there are still a few days left. It's weird that I can't wait to go back to work so that I can relax a little bit, but here we are. Lil' S has been really difficult lately, and I'd much rather sit in a cubicle and debug computer code than listen to his incessant whining. It's not his fault, of course; he's only two and still might be a bit sick. It's not like he's purposefully driving us up the wall (it only feels that way), but up the wall we are driven, just the same. (Plus, every so often, he does something super cute, and it's like, "aww ... how can we be annoyed now?" He knows when to play the charm card.)
To make matters worse, S is still not feeling 100%, and that stomach bug I mentioned in my last entry finally got me. It was awful. I wasn't throwing up, but things were very loose on the other end. It was my worst case of the runs since India. The bad thing about diarrhea -- other than the fact it's incredibly uncomfortable and fucking disgusting -- is that it dehydrates you. And what's more, in a cruel twist of irony, it often leaves you constipated when it's over. It's like you are freezing in the icy tundra, and then somebody sets you on fire. (Hey, that would make a good poem.) You don't get better; you just get a different malady. And that's what happened to me (constipation, not being set on fire). I think it's finally over. I said a nice big, solid puja this morning, if you get my drift. But things were pretty backed up there for a few days.
Anyway ...
[2015!]
Happy New Year! 2015. That's insanity. My life went so slowly up until 1992, and since then it's been a blur. I went from getting my first pube to going bald in a snap. There are all sorts of factoids one can relay to demonstrate how fast time has been going (like that we are now in the "future" according to Back to the Future 2). But here's a weird one that hit me the other day: The Breaking Bad finale was almost a year and a half ago. I came to this realization looking through some old football highlights, as I remember it was on at the same time as a Seahawks-49ers Sunday Night Football game. (Sports really are the ultimate time-keeper.) I remember being bummed that I could only watch one of the game and the finale in real-time. But then a lightning storm hit Seattle and they had to stop the game for about an hour, and it was almost perfectly in sync with the east coast airing of the finale. (I don't think there is a God, but if there is, he was smiling on me that night.) I watched Walt annihilate the Neo-Nazis and die in something resembling peace (spoiler alert!), and then without missing a beat I watched the 'Hawks destroy the Niners and take over the NFC West (another spoiler alert!). It was a good night. But in remembering it, the thing that strikes me the most is that it happened in September -- 2013! A whole other football season ago, and it was at the beginning of the season! It feels like six months ago tops.
Another, more personal, example of time passage, of course, is that Lil' S is almost two-and-a-half now. Since becoming a parent, one thing I like to do is read stupid parenting articles that people post on Facebook, even though they annoy me. Actually, I think it's precisely because they annoy me that I read them -- it's troll reading. The latest one making the rounds is this one: It's the writer's response to a story about two parents handing out goody bags to the other passengers on a flight on which they brought their young child. The author's point is that they shouldn't do this because "they’re part of a dangerous trend: People apologizing, or being made to feel they should apologize, for having children." A lot of my Facebook friends have "liked" this article. But I have a different take on it. It's twofold: 1) I don't think there is such "trend", dangerous or otherwise, 2) Who gives a fuck?
On 1), I think there are far, far more people insisting they are not going to apologize for their kids than there are people demanding apologies. In my experience, particularly on flights, people are very patient and understanding with kids as long as they see the parents are trying their best to minimize their child's disruption (which usually they are). In my opinion, this "dangerous trend" is mostly in people's heads. And, the key word, is feel: "feel they should apologize". If you feel that way, maybe that's on you.
On 2), if people want to give out goody bags to other passengers, complete with a dumb note written from the perspective of a baby -- terrific -- I couldn't care less. It's neither here nor there to me. I would never take the time to do something like it, but it's a fine gesture. As a parent who has flies somewhat frequently with a small child, I'm in no way offended. And I don't feel pressure to do something similar, just like I don't feel pressure to bake something for my office every time a coworker brings in cookies. If somebody wants to do something extra, then it's just that -- extra. It doesn't have to be expected of everybody else.
Also, the tone of the article is really condescending. The whole article has a vibe of "Silly new parents! You'll learn!" I hated the shit before I had a kid, and I still hate it now. The truth of the matter -- and this isn't specific to the article -- is that we don't know what makes a good parent because we don't even know what a good parent is. There is no defined objective. What's the ultimate goal of parenting? Is it to ensure your kid is happy? Successful? Knowledgeable? Independent? Fulfilled? All of these? What happens when these things are in conflict (certainly knowledge does not always lead to happiness), which one takes precedent? And are these even the responsibilities of parents at all?
I've thought about all these questions before, and I've never been able to come up with anything close to satisfactory answers. That's why when it comes to other people's parenting I say, don't neglect them, don't go Adrian Peterson on them, and try not to give them eating disorders. Beyond that, it's pretty much let your parent freak flag fly. Do whatever you want to do, even if that entails giving out stupid goody bags to airline passengers when they are babies. Contrary to what the article says, it's not "wrong". It's irrelevant.
And ... soapbox dismounted.
Until next time ...
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