The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Cueball-a-Cueball

Posted on | October 24, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

I hoisted the three-month-old World’s Youngest Blogger on my shoulders for a pose the other night. What an awesome thing is fatherhood. Niklas is already precocious, though I am committed not to being one of those Dead Poet Society dads with the kid’s whole life scripted for him.

This business of taking care of little ones ain’t beanbag: anyone who looks down upon parents who are raising their children in the traditional fashion is completely, thoroughly wrong.

Comments

10 Responses to “Cueball-a-Cueball”

  1. richard mcenroe
    October 24th, 2011 @ 3:37 pm

    Either the kid learns to grab the ears or you gotta start wearing sweatbands. *g*

  2. JeffS
    October 24th, 2011 @ 4:58 pm

    I hope that you doubled up on the Depends, Dad!

  3. Dell Hill
    October 24th, 2011 @ 5:01 pm

    You beat me to it, Jeff. 

    “Pa, why are you smiling?  I just went peeeeee”

  4. OldGrizzlyMama
    October 24th, 2011 @ 5:02 pm

    Dads and Moms are SO important!  Hang on to every minute and enjoy, it goes too fast!

  5. Joe
    October 24th, 2011 @ 5:14 pm

    I remember having our first one and thinking it was so easy.  Two weeks, no crying.  She was breast fed, so even her poop did not stink too much.  I thought, boy, it is not hard raising kids. 

    Then the crying started at about two weeks.   Not colic, but enough to let you know she was there.  Okay, no biggie. 

    Then the solid food started and the popcorn smelling poop was a distant memory.  Damn, baby food poop is real poop. 

    Then (and this was way bigger than I ever realized) she started to be able to move where she wanted to go.   You realize why a defensive line is so important in football when that occurs. 

    But at the same time, I was given this great advice by some drunk guy at a party when my wife was eight months pregnant.  He said, you really have a great time with your kid when it’s smarter than your dog.  And you know something, he was right.  And you have months before you are at that point Smitty. 

    Of course, what he didn’t tell me was there is a backsliding period, around when they hit 12-13 years of age.  I hear that does not reverse itself until they are 21. 

  6. Paco
    October 24th, 2011 @ 7:43 pm

    Cute as a button! Love those red socks!

  7. richard mcenroe
    October 24th, 2011 @ 11:23 pm

    18 if you take them to the recruiter.

  8. Anonymous
    October 24th, 2011 @ 11:31 pm

    Is he trying to lick your head?  Cute!

    “I am committed not to being one of those Dead Poet Society dads with the kid’s whole life scripted for him.”  Excellent tack, Admiral.

    I thought for sure I would be one of those overprotective, control-freak moms.   Fortunately,  I learned that parenthood is the ultimate loss of control, and that’s not such a bad thing.  Now I get so much joy in watching my daughter becoming her own person–not someone I want her to be.

  9. Alan Kellogg
    October 24th, 2011 @ 11:39 pm

    What till he starts singing at 4 in the morning. It happens when they’re four months old and they discover they have this wonderful thing called a voice.

  10. Anonymous
    October 25th, 2011 @ 12:48 am

    Babies are a joy.
    Mine are 21, 13 and 10 now. Take my word on this: There are some less obviously joyous, but ultimately just as rewarding, times coming your way. Treasure them.