Three Guilty Confessions

Shane's been a total wrecking ball on my old priorities.

This is a good thing. I believe that when you have a child, you have to live for the family instead of yourself.

That said, I'm only human. I make mistakes I know about and mistakes I won't know about until later. It's impossible to list the mistakes I don't know of, but here are three things I do know of I'm trying to do better.

Brushing Shane's Teeth - I've done a crap job of this so far. I can play all day, do bottles and chores, child-proof, time and mask medicine into feeding, but I can't remember to brush my son's teeth. The few times I have done it, I've felt more like it was him chewing on the brush than actually brushing. This is something I've really got to get better at. Half the time, I remember it AFTER I've put him in bed and I've snuck down the stairs.  Nana would be horrified. (She once laid behind my car in the driveway to prevent me from leaving without brushing).

Waking Up - I start many mornings with a guilt trip. Whenever Shane wakes up at 5:30 AM or earlier, I tend to lay in bed for a while and listen to him 'sing.' As long as it's not a really distressed cry, I just lay there and wish my wife would get up so I could sleep in. Now, there's actually nothing wrong with letting Shane play in his crib for a little bit in the mornings. The books I've read said that up to 30 minutes is fine. However, those days when it takes me closer to 40 minutes? It's amazing how long I can lay somewhere and keep hoping "maybe he'll go back to sleep in 5 minutes." My average wake up time to Shane 'singing' is probably around 20 minutes. (I almost said 15-20, but if this is a confession I should lean towards honesty).

Ignore the TV - My son and I both zombify when a TV is on. Carrie can have it on as background noise. Me? It doesn't matter if it's Judge Judy, or some other crappy show. I start to zone in to it and zone out my son. It's got to be the ADHD. When I'm home with Shane, I do my best to keep the TV off entirely. I still stray towards checking my email on the computer, but because it takes energy and effort it's easier for me to avoid. The TV is Mike-trap. It just ensnares me if I'm not careful.