Messes, patience and other thoughts

It never ceases to amaze me how fast two toddlers can wreck a room.  Before our children, my wife and I kept a clean and tidy house.  Now, the kids can come into a room and within seconds (not minutes) turn it into a disaster area.  The concept of putting things away before getting more stuff out is an elusive one for toddlers.  There are many lessons to be taught, and the kids are not the only ones learning.  As a parent, you just have to let some things go.

For the past few weeks my son has been counting to 100 before we go to bed.  He reads the alphabet, forward then backward; then counts every number from 1 to 100.  Then he wants me to read a few books, sing him a couple of songs and say our prayers after I tuck him in.  The songs he wants are “lullaby”, a version I made up and lately he wants me to sing “Maybe” by Thom Pace, the theme song to the television show The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.  He has never seen the show, but I watched it as a kid in 1977 and 1978, and that song has stuck with me ever since.  I was humming it a few months ago and he liked it and asked me to sing it to him…and I have every night since. 

Monday morning I changed my daughter’s poopy diaper 3 times in the span of an hour.  Then, we got her and her brother dressed and ready for swim classes, and just as my wife was about to take her to the car, she pooped again.  Having multiple children in diapers at the same time is not only challenging, it pushes your patience and organizational skills to the limit. 

A big thing for the Dad to do is take some pressure off the Mom.  Help with changing the diapers and getting them dressed, keep track of where the kids are and what they are getting into when you are with the family.  Involved Dads do things like this.  They focus on their families, not just themselves.  Thanks from Dadsworld to all of you involved Dads out there.  Your families appreciate it and need your love and attention.