Guns - Kids

While this post will go a different way at the end. Let me start by saying that I hope you have your guns locked up. It may or may not be the law in your area of the land but either way your kids are more important than the 15 seconds it will take for you to access the safe to get the guy breaking in.

Now, with the school shooting in CT. and the Christmas Eve killing of two firemen at a house fire, the gun debate is a HOT topic.

Let me ask you this though. (And its not my original idea)

I'm a gun owner and have my own views. I was a cop for 12 years and have my own views good and bad that way too.

We get so worked up when someone walks into a school and kills handfuls of children and yet we don't have the same gut wrenching feeling and outward call for change with ~ 125,000 abortions per day.   What gives???

Merry Christmas!

Parents, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I got a long nap, thanks to the wife. I made some brownie points setting up a trampoline for 4 hrs last night.

Flu Shots

Make sure you get your flu shot. When it comes to your little one, if you'd rather not get the shot ask if they have the nose spray. So much more pleasant.

Fruit or Vegetable

Normal guys, this will not be our choice nor will you be asked for input but if you have the conversations about which you should give a little one first, here is my idea. (Also be aware of food allergies for the young!!!)

We read and then implemented giving our kids vegetables first because they aren't sweet. Something about giving a kid sweet things first and they won't want the other healthy items. So start with veggies.

Juice is expensive

We are sort of crazy thinkers when it comes to juice. Although we have relaxed a little, 100% juice is still the norm. But that's expensive. So, when they are young make sure you only fill the cup half full and the rest with water. They never know the difference when that's how it tasted from the beginning. This makes the juice last longer too.

Shifts

The wife and I have a deal where we take shifts. I'm a late night guy and she a morning person. I deal with everything after 9pm and she gets anything after 530am.

This lets her get uninterrupted sleep through the night and I can sleep in.

While a breast feeding mom may need to unload her milk, it's helpful if you can talk her into pumping. That way you can take 1 of the nights feedings. Then, she gets to sleep and you get bonding time.

Trust me, make brownie points when you can because she is working harder than you think.

Don't ever...

There are a few things you should just leave out of your vocabulary. First one is telling your wife she is fat. Even if she is, you made her that way. ;)

But seriously, don't ever say you are "babysitting" your kids. They are your kids, you don't babysit them. You parent them. Hopefully you spend time with them, teach them, and love on them. Some of my fondest memories are from times I've taught my kids something. My oldest will forever be indebted to me because I taught him how to tie his shoes.

In all seriousness. I hear of dads all over the place who babysit their kids. Maybe its not that phrase I specifically hear, although I use it to get my mom worked up, it's what I see dads doing that really erks me.

Does Nascar, Football, or even the computer mean more to you than that kid you made. Or did you just want to ram it and oops, look what Santa brought?  Here are just a few ideas on how you can get involved.

1) Coach their team
2) Teach them to drive
3) Teach them to shoot a gun - Don't you want to teach them gun safety rather then some dad who is "babysitting them?"
4) Camp in a tent with them in the back yard.
5) Read an intellectual book to them at bed time. (I hate to read, even have had reading issues but my 7 year old and I have some deep conversations over The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis at night.
6) Teach them about GOD
7) Go to the batting cages.
8) Snuggle and read a book
9) Dad's with daughters - Take them on a date.   **I haven't had the pleasure as of yet because of their age, but take them out all dressed up to a fancy 5star restaurant.   Make it hard for them idiot boys that are interested in her to match your level of mochismo. Then she will shoot for the better guys.
10) Take them to a park.

But do something instead of BABYSITTING them!

New baby

Don't worry dads. Babies, in the first couple of months get some congestion. You will have your instincts, but after my first kid, whom I slept next to in the hospital because I knew he would stop breathing, the other kids get much easier.

Heating milk for instance:
For the first kid we purchased the bottle warmer. Takes about 2-4 minutes to boil a small amount of water which heats the bottle. They don't suggest you microwave the milk because it can make HOT pockets. For kids 2 & 3 I used the microwave. 18 seconds to a bottle with no lid and then some shaking to get ride of "hot spots" if they were ever any gets me done and back to bed faster.