Adopting Fatherhood

Tonight, The Kid and I were playing in the yard of our apartment building. We started walking along the back of the building for a change of scenery, and a guy living on the 10th floor of the neighboring building decided to throw open his window to empty the contents of a Ziplock bag outside. I muttered, "That's classy." My polite daughter yelled, "Hi Classy!" and started waving. I have a feeling I know what Classy muttered, but we didn't stick around long enough to hear it all. I suppose it is time I start watching what I say around The Kid.

Please do not disturb the Peppa Pig fan.  "Papa! Wakey wake! Max and Ruby on." Those were the first words I heard when I woke up this morning. As I staggered to our living room, The Kid said, "Max and Ruby on!" a few more times. I couldn't figure out why she was so emphatic about me seeing this particular cartoon, because it isn't one of her favorites. I turned the corner to the living room, and Gladys had Headline News on, not Max and Ruby. That's when The Kid pointed to the television and yelled, "MAX AND RUBY ON!" Max and Ruby was not on because she was misbehaving, and she was hoping that Papa would give her what she wanted when Mama would not. Much to her chagrin, Papa backed Mama. At least now we are sure that our daughter is a perfectly normal two-year old. And I'll be watching this episode of fatherhood a lot in the years to come.

Sometimes it is better to just get thoughts out on paper, or in this case, on my blog, even when they are not fully developed. This is one of those times. Here are some of the random observations I've made lately: Every kid grows differently, and disproportionately. The Kid, and her hands, are no exception. The Kid loves snuggling after a bath, and I love snuggling with her, but I'm always nervous that the only thing standing between me and a bunch of urine is a towel.  She still mixes up Mama and Papa when she's excited, and I find the MaPa combination to be incredibly cute. My friend Max says he doesn't think the "terrible twos" are all that terrible, mostly because it is exciting to watch children develop independence. I want to agree with him, but I do struggle with the concept when she's half-dressed and planking while I'm running late to work.  The Kid's favorite sentence in the world is, "I did it!" We still argue the...