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skepdad’s “free time” the second

After a rather sleepless night I required this, a gelatinous goo of a blog entry, to get my brain functioning again. I was pulled from sleep numerous times by a crying kid. USUALLY she sleeps through the night. USUALLY the wife insists that she be the one to manage the occasional wake-ups. [...]

After a rather sleepless night I required this, a gelatinous goo of a blog entry, to get my brain functioning again. I was pulled from sleep numerous times by a crying kid. USUALLY she sleeps through the night. USUALLY the wife insists that she be the one to manage the occasional wake-ups. USUALLY she insists that it’s my job to get a good nights sleep so I am awake to go to work and earn money for paying bills and such. But the girl screamed for FOUR hours last night and so eventually I crawled out of bed and went to sit on the floor beside my frustrated wife and a screaming daughter for no other purpose than moral support. Why was she screaming? I suppose the answer will remain locked in her little noggin never to be known. But that doesn’t stop the sporadic external analysis from being shared everywhere we tell such tales.

By this I mean that everyone insists she’s teething. Though I’m having trouble accepting that analysis [insert exhausted sarcasm here] as she’s apparently been teething for two and a half months and we’ve yet to see a single tooth. All evidence to the contrary, every bit of grandmotherly soothsaying (and by that I mean NOT JUST from grandmas) attempts to predict the arrival of those first painful incisors. It is a badge of honour (or something likewise) among the older generation to predict the impending teething stage. Or perhaps it is that catchall answer to pre-toddler crying. I haven’t decided.

And speaking of “soothsaying”… the game right now among interested parties is predicting the handedness of the girl. She reaches with her right. She eats with her left. She rolls clockwise. She falls North. She leans spinward. She falls sinister. I’m tempted to do more research on the nature of left-or-right handedness in kids, but whatever the cause — genetics, biological symmetry, or environmental — the scattered bits of reading I HAVE done seem to suggest that it still too early to tell.

And speaking of “eating”… Apparently, I am “not setting a good example.” I mean we eat a balanced, nutritious diet of home cooked (often home grown in the summer months) food. But, as the wife pointed out, my own little ritual of cracking open a brew when I’m barbecuing has numbered days. I suppose I could cherry pick some research to act as the salvation of my meager indulgence, but she’s likely right on the “girl-mimicking-daddy” argument, and as a responsible parent I’m left with the solid logic that parents setting literal examples for their kids is a cornerstone of behavior modeling.

And speaking of “modeling”… the skeptic in me wants to insist that there is a simpler explanation to the vocalizations of a seven month old girl that sound something like “mo-mamamama-momomo-ma” and “daa-daa-dahdahdah-da.” Conversations around the water cooler with other parents leave me with the impression that kids don’t say anything meaningful until they well within the gravity-well of their first birthday. The skeptic in me wants to insist that hearing “ma” and “da” in the girls mix of verbal diarrhea is parents finding meaning where there is none to be found. Wishful thinking, in other words. True, we have taken up the unexpected habit of calling each other “mom” and “dad”, but that still begs the question of some sophisticated understanding on the girl’s part.

And speaking of “understanding”… there is little doubt that she understands the noise that is her name. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest she has linked that to a personal identity. But say her name in her presence and her head will wheel around, eyes fixed expectantly on your face. Now if only she would listen when we told her to go to sleep…

The SkepDad Blog is meant to casually reflect on questions surrounding parenting and raising kids to become critical thinkers by asking questions and examining parenting ideas with a skeptical eye for facts and science. Each article is one dad's personal opinion, backed (where relevant) by literature and published research, or otherwise based on personal experiences and insights. SkepDad welcomes balanced discussion, comments, and ideas.

April 18, 2008 by Brad
Filed as: Skepdad thoughts

Popularity: 11%

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