Pre-Yom Kippur post
I threw macaroni at my son last night.
Okay, that makes it sound worse than it actually was. He threw them at me first - I was just retaliating.
That doesn't sound much better, somehow. If it's any consolation, I didn't throw those five shells in his face.
That incident, plus a recent post from "A Little Pregnant" made me wonder - did all the crap I went through to get a son make me a better, more patient parent? I think that the answer is no. I'm a regular, flawed human being, and a regular, flawed parent. I do, however, think that it has made me more appreciative in some ways. The fact that we tried and failed so many times is what's in my mind on occasion when he crawls into my lap, I take a deep sniff of baby hair smell, and realize that it doesn't get better than this. And then I read "But Not the Hippopotamus" for the ten thousandth time.
I'm culturally Jewish rather than spiritually Jewish, but I do think that Yom Kippur is a good time of year to pause and reflect on the things that have come before, and the ways in which I would like to improve. Which means that I will try very hard not to throw macaroni at my son anymore, no matter how much his little punk ass deserves it.
Okay, that makes it sound worse than it actually was. He threw them at me first - I was just retaliating.
That doesn't sound much better, somehow. If it's any consolation, I didn't throw those five shells in his face.
That incident, plus a recent post from "A Little Pregnant" made me wonder - did all the crap I went through to get a son make me a better, more patient parent? I think that the answer is no. I'm a regular, flawed human being, and a regular, flawed parent. I do, however, think that it has made me more appreciative in some ways. The fact that we tried and failed so many times is what's in my mind on occasion when he crawls into my lap, I take a deep sniff of baby hair smell, and realize that it doesn't get better than this. And then I read "But Not the Hippopotamus" for the ten thousandth time.
I'm culturally Jewish rather than spiritually Jewish, but I do think that Yom Kippur is a good time of year to pause and reflect on the things that have come before, and the ways in which I would like to improve. Which means that I will try very hard not to throw macaroni at my son anymore, no matter how much his little punk ass deserves it.