I just re-read the feeling like a failure piece about kids as I am currently GOING THRU IT. Hits home. My 10 week old daughter loves watching football on TV so much. I purposefully turn her away and she will strain her neck to uncomfortable positions to keep watching.
Anyways, she has a lot of thoughts about the college football playoffs this year as she has watched basically the entire season with me (I gave up trying to stop her and now we discuss the games afterwards lol)
I've always maintained that you should appreciate/cherish/whatever these early days as much as you can, but that 5-6 months old is when it actually gets to be fun. Once they start smiling and laughing, you're off to the races. It *does* get better.
This rings home for me. We were "no screen" parents with our oldest daughter who was born in July 2019. My wife asked my why our daughter was in her swing watching TV in September. I replied she's not "watching TV" she's beginning a life long journey as a Buckeye fan and needs to learn the ins and outs. The rest is history as she is my loyal watcher (well for a quarter before asking for a Disney princess movie).
Love these retrospectives, Scott. Is it too late to report on my best reads of 2023? I didn't get to it on Best Books Day, so here goes:
The Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman (4 of them so far) are perfect. Lovable characters, subtle plots, dry humour, and irritant-free writing style. No deep moral messages. No dire warnings about the future. Just adventures in crime by a bunch of (trigger warning) seventy-somethings in a seniors residence. Trust me. Read these books, best read in order. The first one is called The Thursday Murder Club, and it rolls on from there.
Wow. That's a good retrospective. I particularly enjoyed your tale from the Pinewood Derby, and since we're tooting horns this morning, the story I related in the comments that day is probably the best one I've shared with y'all this year.
My son is now 19 but your parenting stories are always the ones that get me. Wish I had read some of them while I was going through it! I was his cub scout leader so that one especially made me laugh. My sister has a 9 month old now and I've told her repeatedly that none of us know wth we are doing so don't beat yourself up about any decision you make.
Also, I "bought" my husband a long weekend bourbon trail vacation as a Christmas gift, (meaning I booked some hotel rooms for april), and we will absolutely be the opposite of Derrick, I promise!
As far as horn tooting goes, I changed jobs to finally do what I always wanted to, while also getting out of the prior job before massive layoffs this month.
I just re-read the feeling like a failure piece about kids as I am currently GOING THRU IT. Hits home. My 10 week old daughter loves watching football on TV so much. I purposefully turn her away and she will strain her neck to uncomfortable positions to keep watching.
Anyways, she has a lot of thoughts about the college football playoffs this year as she has watched basically the entire season with me (I gave up trying to stop her and now we discuss the games afterwards lol)
I've always maintained that you should appreciate/cherish/whatever these early days as much as you can, but that 5-6 months old is when it actually gets to be fun. Once they start smiling and laughing, you're off to the races. It *does* get better.
This rings home for me. We were "no screen" parents with our oldest daughter who was born in July 2019. My wife asked my why our daughter was in her swing watching TV in September. I replied she's not "watching TV" she's beginning a life long journey as a Buckeye fan and needs to learn the ins and outs. The rest is history as she is my loyal watcher (well for a quarter before asking for a Disney princess movie).
Love these retrospectives, Scott. Is it too late to report on my best reads of 2023? I didn't get to it on Best Books Day, so here goes:
The Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman (4 of them so far) are perfect. Lovable characters, subtle plots, dry humour, and irritant-free writing style. No deep moral messages. No dire warnings about the future. Just adventures in crime by a bunch of (trigger warning) seventy-somethings in a seniors residence. Trust me. Read these books, best read in order. The first one is called The Thursday Murder Club, and it rolls on from there.
It's never too late, and thank you!
I discovered these books this year and absolutely love them! I think I still have one more to read, so off to the library website to put a hold on it!
Wow. That's a good retrospective. I particularly enjoyed your tale from the Pinewood Derby, and since we're tooting horns this morning, the story I related in the comments that day is probably the best one I've shared with y'all this year.
Like Scott, I too, wrote a commencement address, to my outgoing seniors (the whole back story of how long I have been doing this is at the top.)
https://cdbarker.substack.com/p/words-of-wisdom-to-the-shs-class-f09
I was really happy with my piece about the craft beer scene in Chattanooga. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to 2024 being more creatively fulfilling
https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2023/7/14/chattanooga-grows-and-changes-local-beer-follows
My son is now 19 but your parenting stories are always the ones that get me. Wish I had read some of them while I was going through it! I was his cub scout leader so that one especially made me laugh. My sister has a 9 month old now and I've told her repeatedly that none of us know wth we are doing so don't beat yourself up about any decision you make.
Also, I "bought" my husband a long weekend bourbon trail vacation as a Christmas gift, (meaning I booked some hotel rooms for april), and we will absolutely be the opposite of Derrick, I promise!
I forgot how much I liked Meredith.
As far as horn tooting goes, I changed jobs to finally do what I always wanted to, while also getting out of the prior job before massive layoffs this month.
Derrick from the Bourbon piece was the best/worst character you've come up with in a minute.