Well, I’ve only been doing the whole parenting thing for 1 year and 5 months as of yesterday, and I have no idea where to start. A story from today would be as good as any place, I suppose.
The story starts yesterday, when my wife and I were at the dinner table with our daughter Zoe. [If you're sharp, or a parent, or both, I'm sure you would have guessed that she's 17 months old now.] We were trying to get her to wink, which turned into a fun time because she would try and end up closing both of her eyes, except with a huge smile. So naturally, we kept trying until her attention was drawn somewhere else.
Fast forward to today’s dinner: same idea, same attempts, same results.
Later on as bedtime approaches, we’re all in our usual routine of reading miscellaneous books, listening to the same songs for the fourteenth time today, dancing, and so on. As a song ends, Zoe and Cheryl start to play chase & catch with one another. [Cheryl is the wife & Mommy; if you guessed correctly give yourself five points.] Zoe runs, Mommy chases, Zoe Chases, Mommy runs…
All of the sudden, in a picture perfect moment, Zoe turns around, looks through the side of one of our bookshelves and locks eyes with Mommy who is only about 12 inches away. Both smiling. And in this picture perfect moment, I find myself without the means to take a picture, and I have to decide: lunge twelve feet away for the camera and hope to catch this great shot, or just let the brain soak in another great memory. I decide to go with the latter. I’ve gone for the camera too many times and gotten back when it was too late. This was too good.
Then, the parenting payoff: To our complete surprise, Zoe beams at Mommy, opens her mouth a little, closes her right eye and winks the biggest, most perfect wink I’ve ever seen.
I suppose that sums up the point I want to get across in this first post in an offhand way. All the cameras, CDs, toys, diapers, etc. (the lists goes on forever) that you buy and all of the choices you make as parents… well, when moments like that occur (and there are lots of them) you just know you’re doing something right.
This blog will be more about some of those things you have to choose as parents, and my opinions about some of the things we’ve tried and haven’t tried, that have worked and haven’t worked.
Does that all sound rather complicated?
; )
