What is it that toddlers find so inspiring about filth? I wonder about this as I watch my little girl go for all things nasty. If it's not laying down face first on a concrete floor of the local dive it's trying to peel old, blackened and hardened gum off of the same. Then there's the role of resident trash collector that she adopts or doggie poop picker-uper. Whoa, Stop already!!! No, but the list goes on.
Seriously, she could be like a detective for finding dead things. If the city gave out cash prizes, like lotto money, for finding the most disgusting items, our little warrior would see to it that her parents financial gambit would be over, as in 'No Mas'! Seeing as how this is not the case we invent our own little trophies of vocal accalaide as she brings us her little finds with her golden question, "What's THAT"? When do little girls separate themselves from their apeish cousins--little boys--and decide that getting down in the filth is not for them? Lurking in the back of my mind there's always the thought, "Honey, we had tomboy". No, not quite a lizard, a tomboy. A lizard is a few steps down the staircase.
All kidding aside, I Usually catch her before she grabs those items that require total sanitization of fingers, palms, and forearms, but not Always. So far, fingers crossed, this has been the case for yarded gifts from our nieghborhood's four legged furry friends, but there have been a few close calls on that one. :) I just look forward to the day when I will not have to walk around with a wet rag within arm's reach or hanging out of my back pocket. When she discovers, for real, that potties are for going to the bathroom, drinking glasses are not For turning upside down, and filthy things do not need to be picked up, squished, smelled, or oherwise manipulated I will be overjoyed. I will probably pee my own pants when she looks up at me and says, "Daddy, Ooh that's gross, somebody should clean that up".
I am relishing this time for what it is, but I will Willingly with zest and verve, cellebrate each and every baby step towards socialized conditioning. Looking back I'm sure that this time will seem to have passed far too quickly, no doubt, but yet all the same I am still excited for the changes to come. My Beautiful Baby Girl, I Love Her SO MUCH. :) Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Game of a 2+ Year Old
The MO of my child at this point seems to be something like 'See if you can Clean me up Faster than I can get Dirty'. I say, "Really....you know, we don't have to play this game. No, we really don't. How about I just surrender now and declare you the All Time Winner? I could buy you some popsicles as trophies or something like that...?" ....But she doesn't accept that. Like, "Where's the Fun in that Dad???"
I'm not anal retentive when it comes to house cleaning in general, as many of my friends can attest, but I am in the details like sticky floors, counters, hands, and kid. For kiddos it seems to be all a part of the exploring process: textures, viscosities, density. They're scientists. Don't we know that?! Isn't it apparent? How are they ever going to get into Yale if they don't smear their Cheerios into pate on the tile floor? I mean, C'mon!
It's the little things which have the potential of developing your patience as a parent......the little things:
• sticky hands
• kid sitting on their food--as a Rule. I don't know how it happens either.
• "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" -----this is in succession and is not exagerated.
• Why can't I stand IN the doorway (it's 103* outside w/ flies in attendance) indefinitely?
• and many others
Little Teachers being themselves Teach Big Lessons.
Like I said, in my opinion it's the 'little' things which can Really Grow You as a Human Being and a Parent, and I daresay perhaps it Shines a little light on our Relationship with our Higher Power. Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
I'm not anal retentive when it comes to house cleaning in general, as many of my friends can attest, but I am in the details like sticky floors, counters, hands, and kid. For kiddos it seems to be all a part of the exploring process: textures, viscosities, density. They're scientists. Don't we know that?! Isn't it apparent? How are they ever going to get into Yale if they don't smear their Cheerios into pate on the tile floor? I mean, C'mon!
It's the little things which have the potential of developing your patience as a parent......the little things:
• sticky hands
• kid sitting on their food--as a Rule. I don't know how it happens either.
• "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" "Can I come in?" "Can I go out?" -----this is in succession and is not exagerated.
• Why can't I stand IN the doorway (it's 103* outside w/ flies in attendance) indefinitely?
• and many others
Little Teachers being themselves Teach Big Lessons.
Like I said, in my opinion it's the 'little' things which can Really Grow You as a Human Being and a Parent, and I daresay perhaps it Shines a little light on our Relationship with our Higher Power. Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Rescued by Beauty
I am happy to say that at 42 years of age I can still be shocked and awed by the Beauty and Love of human beings. It was just this kind of experience that I had this past weekend with brothers and sisters of like faith in Louisiana.
'Beautiful' would be an understatement. The experience touched me deeply and I thank Spirit for that. I think of it as being Rescued by Beauty because were it not for happenings such as this I feel as though I might turn into one big callous. Pain and personal adversity have a way of hardening our outer shell for the sake of survival, and Thanks Be to God, there are those magical experiences that come along and act as a pumice stone or better yet (I guess :) ) lightening strikes and penetrate right through all those protective layers.
These are those kinds of experiences in life that take us by surprise, and thankfully, because many things that are of Great benefit to our Spirit we would not willingly orchestrate out of a sense of personal preservation, yet once completed we see, know, and feel a sense of Beauty and Love beyond words. Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
'Beautiful' would be an understatement. The experience touched me deeply and I thank Spirit for that. I think of it as being Rescued by Beauty because were it not for happenings such as this I feel as though I might turn into one big callous. Pain and personal adversity have a way of hardening our outer shell for the sake of survival, and Thanks Be to God, there are those magical experiences that come along and act as a pumice stone or better yet (I guess :) ) lightening strikes and penetrate right through all those protective layers.
These are those kinds of experiences in life that take us by surprise, and thankfully, because many things that are of Great benefit to our Spirit we would not willingly orchestrate out of a sense of personal preservation, yet once completed we see, know, and feel a sense of Beauty and Love beyond words. Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Wonder Pets Theme song
Shayla and I singing this in my truck.
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
My Lovely @ Bouldin Creek Cafe
Here's a few photos of Shayla from this afternoon at Bouldin Creek and a couple from the house earlier today... She's relatively still in these...
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
It's Delicate Business trying to Help a 2-3 yr. Old
It's touch and go when you try to lend a hand to your little one Who Wants to do Everything themselves. Add to that the fact that they want to Help You do everything that you Do. So it's a 'Hands-on- Doubletime' kind of operation, And there are very definite Rules of Protocol as far as The Child is concerned, in particular.
The parental rules are, of course concerned with the child's safety and the child's rules are governed by, "I try it? My do it!" As a parent you try very carefully not to step on their prescious and oh so delicate egos, yet time interferes with this MO at times, as well as their lack of understanding.
I must say once again how awed I am at the whole activity of parenting and how it is such a mirror image, a double image pracitcally, for my own learning about myself and my process of growth. It is really all so rudimentary---the way we are made. We are so much the same it is a wonder that we fool ourselves so often by thinking we are different than one another. That's really so immature and foolhardy. Parenting is one of the things in Life that really seems to bear this out in stark, boldfaced obviousness. It's surprising that we still find a way to deny it. It's a good thing that denial doesn't change the truth or we probably wouldn't have too many of those. :) Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
The parental rules are, of course concerned with the child's safety and the child's rules are governed by, "I try it? My do it!" As a parent you try very carefully not to step on their prescious and oh so delicate egos, yet time interferes with this MO at times, as well as their lack of understanding.
I must say once again how awed I am at the whole activity of parenting and how it is such a mirror image, a double image pracitcally, for my own learning about myself and my process of growth. It is really all so rudimentary---the way we are made. We are so much the same it is a wonder that we fool ourselves so often by thinking we are different than one another. That's really so immature and foolhardy. Parenting is one of the things in Life that really seems to bear this out in stark, boldfaced obviousness. It's surprising that we still find a way to deny it. It's a good thing that denial doesn't change the truth or we probably wouldn't have too many of those. :) Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Trust Beats the hell out of Stress
This was Shayla's first full weekend away from home--a whole two nights away!! A day, night, and a day is not so bad, but the stress of thinking about two nights, two partial days with a full day in the middle!! Man what a mental trip that is!
I nearly called the whole thing off Friday morning, but then came back to my senses. Thankgoodness! She only went to Houston to visit Grandma Nana and Risa! By my trepidation you'd have thought she was going across the country.
I'm really glad I let her do it. I hope I'm not saying that a little too prematurely. Who knows what kind of habits she'll have developed over there. Just kidding. Haha. Nana and Risa are great.
I did discover that I still do really enjoy silence quite a bit. How nice that is IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY SPANNING HOURS AT A TIME!! Holy Toledo Batman! (Parental-style cursing that was learned with great effort, fyi.) Boy, that was Nice! I could get used to a dose of that from time to time. Look out Relatives, Rent-A-Kid is now open!
It will be really good to have her back in a few hours from now. Parental free time sure is nice, but I started missing her just as soon as I handed her off. Isn't that interesting? I guess that is the way it is.
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
I nearly called the whole thing off Friday morning, but then came back to my senses. Thankgoodness! She only went to Houston to visit Grandma Nana and Risa! By my trepidation you'd have thought she was going across the country.
I'm really glad I let her do it. I hope I'm not saying that a little too prematurely. Who knows what kind of habits she'll have developed over there. Just kidding. Haha. Nana and Risa are great.
I did discover that I still do really enjoy silence quite a bit. How nice that is IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY SPANNING HOURS AT A TIME!! Holy Toledo Batman! (Parental-style cursing that was learned with great effort, fyi.) Boy, that was Nice! I could get used to a dose of that from time to time. Look out Relatives, Rent-A-Kid is now open!
It will be really good to have her back in a few hours from now. Parental free time sure is nice, but I started missing her just as soon as I handed her off. Isn't that interesting? I guess that is the way it is.
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Shayla's First Weekend Away from Home
This is Shayla's first weekend away from Christina and I. She's in Houston visiting with 'Nana' (my mom) and Risa. What a strange mix of emotions I feel in response to this. Late last night, and early this morning I got cold feet with the plan, but went ahead with it anyway. Why? Because I'm going to miss the hell out of my daughter! While the break will afford me the time to make some serious preparations for next weekend, it's still a mixed bag in the Heart department. This is the first of many, but what a mixed sensation it is, And Shayla is totally into it!! So this is without the added mixed emotion that must come when your child is resistant to being apart from you!! Whew! Tough stuff! Even when I Know she'll have a Blast! Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
No One is Left Behind
Love is Knowing that even when it looks like you're 'missing out', you're not.
Love is Knowing that even when it looks like you are being 'left behind', you're not. These are only plays of the illusion.
"Everyone will attain God-consciousness and be liberated. Some receive their meal early in the morning, others at noon, still others not until evening. But none will go hungry. Without any exception, all living beings will eventually know their own true nature as timeless awareness."
--Ramamkrishna
Spirit will not forget you. You are part of that Force. The mind is a trickster and plays tricks upon itself. It tries to convince that the mirage is the Real. The outward can be the test of the Inner. What will you do with it? How will you respond? What is your response- ability? What will you do with the ego? Will you try and shut it out? Will you listen yet give no wood for the fire of it? Will you listen and go along and stoke the fire consciously or unconsciously? Will you listen dispassionately and not feed it, yet be aware of the movements it makes? Can it be done--be aware yet not stoke it?
This may be where real talent lives. The kind that directs the flow of energy between peace and sadness, truth and fiction.
"Physician, Heal Thyself" Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Love is Knowing that even when it looks like you are being 'left behind', you're not. These are only plays of the illusion.
"Everyone will attain God-consciousness and be liberated. Some receive their meal early in the morning, others at noon, still others not until evening. But none will go hungry. Without any exception, all living beings will eventually know their own true nature as timeless awareness."
--Ramamkrishna
Spirit will not forget you. You are part of that Force. The mind is a trickster and plays tricks upon itself. It tries to convince that the mirage is the Real. The outward can be the test of the Inner. What will you do with it? How will you respond? What is your response- ability? What will you do with the ego? Will you try and shut it out? Will you listen yet give no wood for the fire of it? Will you listen and go along and stoke the fire consciously or unconsciously? Will you listen dispassionately and not feed it, yet be aware of the movements it makes? Can it be done--be aware yet not stoke it?
This may be where real talent lives. The kind that directs the flow of energy between peace and sadness, truth and fiction.
"Physician, Heal Thyself" Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Let Them Explore: On Keeping Kids Clean..
THAT is nigh unto impossible you will know if you have ever had small children. It is a literal fight (with them) in order to keep them relatively, and I mean Relatively sanitary. This is not their natural state. I am sure of it. My daughter prefers grime and dirt any day to smelling sweet like a daisy. At this point she has more in common with Oscar the Grouch in terms of hygiene than her own parents.
Today, while at Ruta Maya I was hard pressed to keep her out of the puddles on the porch created by the landscaper's over zealous watering habits. So after a while I caved and let her be a wet and slimy explorer. I remembered, "she will not melt". Oh yeah, "What can it hurt", I thought? That's right. It can't. We, as adults, are so addicted to being dry and smelling like Ivory or sandalwood or whatever that we try to impose that on our kids who do not yet care about such things, God Bless 'em. Let them have water, mud, dust, dirt (in moderation), and bugs, just not doggie doo. Please....just no feces. Amen.
Today, while at Ruta Maya I was hard pressed to keep her out of the puddles on the porch created by the landscaper's over zealous watering habits. So after a while I caved and let her be a wet and slimy explorer. I remembered, "she will not melt". Oh yeah, "What can it hurt", I thought? That's right. It can't. We, as adults, are so addicted to being dry and smelling like Ivory or sandalwood or whatever that we try to impose that on our kids who do not yet care about such things, God Bless 'em. Let them have water, mud, dust, dirt (in moderation), and bugs, just not doggie doo. Please....just no feces. Amen.
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Outsourced Cowboys
These guys--East Indian versions of Cowboys--just might have a hard time travelling through Texas. (photo via Jerry Daniels/ whatisee.posterous.com) Text--All Mine. Obleo, I couldn't resist filling in the blanks either. :)
Age comes naturally. You have to work for Wisdom.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)