Carrie is out of town for the annual YCC supervisor's training tonight. She'll be back tomorrow, so that she can go to a class on Saturday for her new job. She needs to take the class to earn the badge she needs for access to the adult detention center. Exciting times for my wife!
Shane's stuck with me again in the meantime!
When Shane was first born, there were times I was almost intimidated to be alone with him. "Am I going to screw this up?"
The thought still pops up from time to time, but it's usually followed by "LET'S FIND OUT! WOOO!"
Shane's still got both arms and all of his toes, so I haven't totally screwed the pooch yet! I only have to hold out until Shane's old enough that it will be his own damn fault if he looses a finger!
On a more serious note: I do get to spend a lot of time with my son. I don't want to be one of those dads who's never around. I pull Shane out of bed every morning and once work ends I see him all the way up until we say our bedtime prayer and he zonks out. My job doesn't require travel, so I think Matt's bachelor party was the only time I've left him and Carrie. There were a few vacations here and there, but those were with my wife and Shane got coveted grandparent spoiling time.
My theory: Shane says "Daddy go away!" because he sees so much of me! Summer is right around the corner, so Shane's only going to get more Daddy time! It doesn't help that I'm usually the discipline parent, too ("No fork in the light socket!"). He's got Carrie wrapped around his little finger. Even Genevieve says so!
I appreciate how my folks are big on correcting Shane whenever the "Daddy go away's" start, but I don't take it personally. My legacy is that I want to be active in my son's life and to be there when he wants me and when he needs me (and the two are definitely not the same thing).
I've got to avoid being a helicopter parent, as well! The ones I run into as a teacher always annoy me. Kids need opportunities to fail. They need bumps. They need bruises. Mistakes are some of life's best lessons.
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