Congratulations your a Dad!

[Eamonn]

It happened at 10:30 on Saturday morning in July.

I was welcomed into the ranks of parenthood.

Soon after, I was handed this little person who was wearing a hat.

He didn't seem to take much notice of me, even though I was so very interested in him.

I counted his fingers and his toes, making sure that he had ten of each.

About half way through my count of his left foot, I was hit with the fact that I was totally unprepared for what was to happen next, but I was aware that this next was going to last a very long time.

He didn't come with any book of instructions. He just was there and he was mine.

The early days weren't that hard.

He was able to communicate his needs by crying.

Most times I took care of one end or the other and soon after he stopped making noise.

I followed his development by taking lots of photos and making video tapes on my cam-corder which weighed about the same as a 1957 Buick.

I really enjoyed bathing him, playing in the warm water, splashing away and me trying to sink foam blocks that he paid little or no notice of.

Babies who have just come out of the bath and are dried and powdered have one of the greatest smells. I loved that smell.

Soon he was becoming a real person, not just that little thing that made noise when he needed tended to.

He was crawling and into everything. I spent many happy hours child-proofing the house, he managed to undo all my fine work in a matter of minutes.

I was determined that his first word was going to be Da-da. To this end I spent hours with him on my knee telling him to say Da-da. - It didn't work. His first word was "No".

For the first three years or so my only thoughts were keeping him safe and making sure that we all survived.

What with me working and HWMBO working along with the fact that my Mother-In-Law found him to be "Too Much." We had little choice but to send him to day care four days a week. I kept my Mondays free to be with him.

I really don't think I ever spent anytime thinking about Child Development.

I more or less followed the things that I remembered my parents doing. I have a sister who is 12 years younger than me.

We had bedtime stories, we said our prayers. I do think that I very well might have got a lot more out of all of this then he ever did, but I'm not sure.

He started school.

He didn't get on very well with the Nuns. So after 3 years we tried public school, which was a much better fit.

As he got older I started to feel a little let down in that he didn't seem to enjoy the things that I enjoyed. He didn't like to read. When I was his age I was going to the local library twice a week.

By the time he was a teenager it was very clear that he wasn't interested in the same things that I was.

I have to admit that for a little while I felt a little down because of this.

 

He is going to be 24 next birthday.

I'm happy to report that we have all survived.

While I know that we don't share a lot of the same interests, I when I look at him see a nice fellow who really cares abouts other people.

Sure he does things that I don't understand or maybe don't want to understand?

Still all in all he is a nice person.

We managed this with me knowing nothing about parenting, no brain scans or the help from experts.

I'm not sure but maybe there is something to be said about:

Ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise?

[OldGreyEagle]

Ahh, but Eamonn you did have knowledge of being a parent and you did have a demonstration from experts...

 

 

Your Parents

 

 

and that could either be a Blessing or a Curse

[NealOnWheels]

I wonder if his parents used the EDGE method.

[OldGreyEagle]

I don't know about Eamonn's parents but I can speak about mine

 

I do think my mother would explain why I had to do what they said. To learn discipline, to learn responsibility. I remember her saying as she spanked me, this hurts me more than it hurts you and being impressed she could inflict that level of pain on herself

 

I do think my father demonstrated how to work to provide for his family. To go to work in the Heat, COld, Rain and Snow (He was a linemen for COmmonwealth Edison) He demonstrated how to be a Scout Leader he got the St George's Cross as a scouter for his work so you guys can blame him for my Scouting zeal, he first demonstrated it

 

Both parents Guided me through life, as I got alder and had to make my own decisions they would ask questions about outcomes and let me know what they would do but repected my choice if did something else

 

And finally, yeah they enabled me, they said hey kid, your married you aint living here no more... Actually they never said that, they had gotten me to the place where I knew I was to live life on my own with my wife and if that is not being enabled, no one is

[eagle90]

On a separate note, our troop had a fund raiser this past weekend (A Rummage Sale, very successful!) two of our scout alumni came by with their new babies! I guess that proves you are getting old when your former scouts start coming around with their new sons (and future scouts?)

 

Dale

[Tampa Turtle]

When my boys were babies I remembering making those late night runs for diapers and proudly wearing spit-up on my T-shirt--it said "I'm a dad!".

 

OGE you got me thinking when I was 22 and had graduated from college my dad through me out of the house. Basically I was the most responsible child but needed the kick out the nest. My younger siblings stayed home until over 30 and still seem less mature. So I guess I owe my dad a thank you though it sure didn't seem like it at the time.

 

It actually took some guts on my parent's part as they pushed my older brother out and he was not ready for the cruel world and died very young.

 

Now that I am a parent I look on their decisions a bit differently; the judgement calls are pretty tough.

[perdidochas]

I used the EDGE method with my sons, although I usually modified it to DEGE (which is allowable for EDGE method)

[Eamonn]

Dad was a very proud Irish man.

He left Ireland after his Mother died, he father had gone before her.

Things were tough in Ireland and he was on his way to Australia.

I always thought it was strange that both my parents lived less then 12 miles from each other in Ireland, but never met until they were both in London.

My Mum worked as a maid for a rich Irish doctor.

Dad worked where there was work. At that time there was still a lot of discrimination against the Irish.

Mum said that Australia was too far from Ireland and her parents, so she refused to go.

After they married she quit working and Dad bought his first business.

I think in part due to the discrimination, he felt that he had to prove something.

Mum was happy as a stay at home full time mother for me, my older brother and two sisters.

Dad wasn't around very much, he was busy making money.

His wanting to prove something and not be seen as some sort of dumb Irish "Mick" made him push us kids. He put a lot of store in education and we all were expected to work hard.

I don't ever remember playing with my Dad, we never kicked a ball around or played kids games. But he was happy to pay for just about anything we kids wanted to do.

After I finished collage the first time, he paid for me to come to the States. Where I met the girl was was later to become my wife.

My one sister was still working on her RN when she got married, my other sister went to India after college. My older brother must have inherited Dads way of making money, he was a millionaire before he was 22.

I have very fond memories of my mother, me coming home to meals that she cooked, while she was never a great cook she was a good baker. Much as I've tried I have yet to make soda bread as good as she did.

As a kid I was envious of other Lads who had Dads that went to the park and played with them. Dads that didn't always wear a tie.

It was kinda of ironic that I wanted to have four or five kids, we'd been married for almost six years and had about given up thinking that we'd ever have a kid. I'd gone and borrowed a lot of money from the banks when we found out that we were going to be blessed. So when he did come I seemed to be busy most of the time, working from 08:30 till about 02:30 six days a week.

Talk about following in your father's footsteps!

I did learn about hard work from my Dad. - Right about now I'm starting to reap the benefits of it all. But parts of me does wish that I'd been around more when my son was growing up and that I'd made more time for him.

I used to beat myself up a lot about this, but have now come to grips understanding that I can't undo what's done.

Ea.

 

[Kudu]

 

The purpose of the EDGE Method is to eliminate from basic training's Patrol Method Presentation, the Patrol Leader and any description of a working Patrol.

 

The result? The Guide to "Safe" Scouting eliminated the "Real" Patrol Method.

 

When used in the process of conception, EDGE functions as an equally safe and effective form of birth control.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

http://kudu.net