It's great fun being a dad. You're the punch bag, climbing frame and the human dustbin at mealtimes. However, Now I have started on a new role....the parent. It has been coming for a while, but there has been a definite shift in my mindset recently. This may seem like an obvious thing to most. You're a parent as soon as your child is born. That is true, but you don't start actual parenting until your child starts to realise that they have the ability to do whatever they want and at any time!!
First it starts with a finger up the nose. Then it is maybe a finger up your nose. They start then to explore, push the boundaries then comes the words I heard a lot when I was younger, "NO!". When you start saying 'no' with more regularity and you are met with more resistance, parenting has begun. You are setting boundaries, they are pushing them. You then have the public meltdown where your child spins round and sprawls on the floor in floods on tears. Usually somewhere public too. You feel the embarrassment but don't want to let them know that they've got your attention, at the same time removing them from the scene as quickly as possible. Another is the side hold, whereby you have your child across your body with legs and arms thrashing like a seal being attacked by a killer whale.
For me it felt that I was always telling my son off. It wasn't actually the case. It was just I wasn't the fun dad 24/7 anymore. Isaac seems to like some parenting though. He obviously doesn't like the part where he can't do what he wants. But he likes the challenge of trying to and he seems to like making up afterwards. So I'm slowly embracing my new role. Nurturing him without always chastising him. Giving boundaries without clipping his wings. What I am realising is what they actually want isn't always that bad. In one case, Isaac screamed trying to get a door open. When it was opened, he just wanted to stand the other side of it. Once he satisfied his curiosity, he gave up being a pain in the bum about not getting his own way. So every now and then, I pretend he's having his own way! (anyone got a decoy remote control?)
Everyday I have more respect for my parents.
