Mornings

The greatest and most obvious reason to cut out the heavy drinking and partying at night is the morning. This is probably true long before we have children, but that fact seldom slowed me from tying one on before Maia was here.

Now it’s different. If you’ve come to the conclusion that your children are whiny, demanding and altogether too much trouble, I’d recommend a good lie-in with them.

I had a nasty cold this week, which lead to a deep chest cold, and which then led to disgusting, crusty cold sores on my lips. Too much info, I know, but the point is, I was run down. So I finally managed to get a good (believe it or not) twelve hours sleep. The following morning was blissful, sweet and from a parental point of view, self-assuring.

After a good twelve hours sleep I just feel rested. This same period of rest is common (and necessary) for children; after which they are duly curious, rambunctious, loving and hungry.

This morning, though I still had a tickled and sore throat, we lay in bed together, cuddling, talking, play fighting. Maia seemed content just to be there in the same place together, which is understandable, because so much of the day is spent with me needing to be elsewhere. Working on the computer. Working at work. Running errands. Cleaning. You know, the Responsibilities of a grownup.

It never ceases to amaze me how children find joy in the simple things. Which is to say that they find joy a lot easier than most adults do. Why are we not more appreciative of this? Kids make it easy for us.

You mean, all I have to do is lie there in bed and let the kid pile pillows on my head, crawl around under the sheets tickling me, play peek-a-boo and itsy bitsy spider and they’ve just had the time of their life?

That’s worth its weight in gummy bears.

In the beginning

In the beginning there were deadbeat dads. I was never one of them, though their numbers always do astound. Wishful thinking at first perhaps, but these neer-do-well Pops somewhere along the line decided that they should come first, in spite of the beautiful little faces that look up to them for guidance, love and stability.

Dadbeat.com is a website for single dads and their like (yes, even deadbeat dads) to come for guidance, information and support from other dads with experience.

For now it’s just me, Doug, and my meager experience with my own wonderful four year old daughter, Maia. I hope others join me in this endeavor, to create a unique destination for others will to listen, share and learn about the art of fatherhood.