My mother and father were born in the mid 1950s. America had been victorious in WW2, my grandfather was back from a tour of duty as a cook in Japan, and my great-uncle long returned from fighting with the infantry in Europe. The Great Depression was over, Eisenhower was a good president, and the baby boom was booming. It wasn't all pretty, though. Communist Russia weighed high on many American minds, but at least the Soviets were a visible enemy rather than the terrorist boogeymen of today's world. Vietnam hadn't started yet, and I think overall it must have been an optimistic time to have children.
I was born in the early 80's. At the time of my birth, America was just ending a severe recession. Giant mainframes were becoming personal computers (there was a famous 1984 commercial with Apple), Reagan was in charge and over 50% of the country was thrilled about it. While I was still young, the Berlin wall fell, and the US kicked some butt in Desert Storm. Interest rates were through the roof, but overall I think it was also an optimistic time to have children.
What about today? My child is born into a time period when there's a recession, foreclosures left and right as a result of a real estate fallout, the federal deficit is looking to go into orbit, and the military is chasing terrorists. I can't help but think that Shane isn't being born into the most optimistic of times. Technology can do amazing things, but at the moment, I think that it's at the stage where people still need to find a healthy balance to some of the advancements. A simple Google search can bring up hardcore pornography for a young kid browsing the internet, video games consume the lives of adults and children, and any time you buy something it becomes obsolete by the next Christmas. It doesn't seem like the most optimistic of times to me.
But I have hope. By the time Shane is older, I believe the recession will be over and things will be looking up. Technology will be being used in more classrooms making for better instruction, medical science is advancing at a quick rate, and the world is becoming more and more connected through the global economy. I'm thinking that the little bugger will be lucky enough to see a base establish on the moon! (I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be old enough to see that one, as well.)
That's all in the future, though. We've got to survive the present first. Shane had a nice upchuck earlier that had Carrie in tears. If you're reading this Shane, let me tell you: your mom loves ya like crazy. Whenever you hiccup, she hangs at your bedside and hopes that they aren't paining you. Min has an eye infection, and Carrie makes her mom and I wash our hands with soap AND with instant hand sanitizer after we handle her. She's taking no chances that you could catch whatever Min has. If you're in the room, the volume on the TV switches back and forth as I raise it to hear, and she lowers it so you won't. Sometimes after you're done feeding, she'll hold you sleeping in her lap for hours. She's told me straight up that she wasn't a baby person at all, until she met you. You're different and she's crazy about ya.
You're a lucky kid. My concern is that she'll stop worrying about you and start worrying more about her own health. She needs to get more sleep if you'll let her. My fingers are cross that after I'm done writing this, and your mom's done feeding you, you'll let us get in a three hour nap before we give it another go.
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