Family Matters, Week of 8-17-05
Every week I detail my family?s happenings (2 little girls and a wife) and then I share some cool stuff I?ve seen over the past week.
Annie
It?s a funny thing to have a three year old. Particularly in that they are determined to not only do that which you just told them not to do, they are also wont to idolize you in strange ways.
I call this the Working Dad syndrome. You can substitute ?Dad? with whichever primary caregiver they spend the least amount of time with.
What happens is this: They (ie, the kid) doesn?t want you to know about something bad they did. They freak out when they know you?ve heard about it, and they don?t want to talk you on the phone or in person for fear of what you may do.
Plenty of my daily calls from home involve something like: ?Evan, you need to come get your child.?
?What happened.?
?Annie has (insert something ridiculous) all over the (expensive object / Abby).?
All is quiet in the background except some muffled sobs from Annie. She knows she?s in trouble and has already been disciplined by Ericka. I?m just the follow-up in these situations.
?Let me talk to her,? I say.
?Daddy wants to talk to you,? Ericka says.
Then the screaming begins. ?NO! I don?t wanna talk to Daddy, Daddy?s mean at me!? Annie has yet to understand that ?upset or unhappy? is the correct nomenclature, so to her if you?re upset you?re ?Mean.?
?Daddy?s not mad at you, he just wants to talk to you.? Annie then repeats most of her previous statements, usually on the floor at this point. ?Daddy?s not mad,? Ericka attempts to explain, ?Daddy?s not upset.?
?He?s not?? Annie says, a bit more aware.
?No honey, he just wants to talk to you. Now come over here and get this phone.?
A few seconds pass. ?Daddy?? comes the sweet voice over the other end.
?Annie,? I say, ?I don?t want you (doing that terrible thing that you did), okay?? But before the ?o? in okay is out, Annie screaming, crying, and flailing about.
So, yeah, I get those conversations all the time. Sometimes I even get to convince her I?m not mad, but most times?.not so much.
Abby
Abby is currently living under the Hair Pulling Rule of Princess Annie. Of course we try to stop this behavior (as Abby pulls hair right back, which she should) but I can?t really figure out a good solution to this problem. A 1.5 year old and a 3 year old are going to fight. Over toys, over blankets, over meals, it?s just going to happen. We can?t be constant watch dogs, but you can?t help but feel the overwhelming responsibility to try.
So you seperate, scold if necessary, send-kids-to-rooms if necessary, and try to keep the peace.
But Abby is a rebel, and there is always revolution in the air.
Ericka (her blog ? Now actually updated!)
Me and Ericka binge ourselves on reality television, her favorite hobby, while I wonder if Big Brother is getting more intersting or more boring. Ericka still digs the show and I do too, and will probably watch it until it finally limps to a conclusion, but in the meantime we have much more fun with Rock Star: INXS. Plenty of good gossip, plenty of interesting personalities, and lots to discuss. We usually pause the show a few times just so we can finish our exacerbated rants on why this person didn?t sing this song that week. And so it goes.
Otherwise, Ericka?s been working extra hard at her job to provide some fundage for my birthday this September 24th. I love this woman to death and I wish she would just spend some of it on herself. God knows I?ve spent way too much on myself these past years, and Ericka keeps asking me for the Birthday Want List which I still haven?t provided. I mean, the only thing I can think about really wanting is Freakanomics and for her to be happy.
Here?s a birthday want babe: Take all of that cash you were going to spend on me and cut it in half. Take whichever half you like and I?ll find something to do with the rest.
Etc
Wow, I tell ya, ever since I began bookmarking my ?Wednesday Etc Links? it has grown to quite a list. Let?s get crackin:
? 20 40 Things That Only Happen In Movies: All Single Women Have A Cat. Word.
? Atari Watches ? If only they were playable, then I might actually want one.
? The White Stripes - My Doorbell (Direct Link to .mov) ? My favorite song from the record is their next single. Sweet.
? Recordable Photo Clock ? Such a brilliant idea. Just too expensive ($20 = When I would buy this)
? B&T's Tips and Scripts ? Do a little web work but not all the time? This is a fantastic place to find little pieces of code and information to make your site better. Just wonderful.
? Dell and Me ? A blogger takes some video of his terrible Dell experience and shows it to the world via his own documentary. Part 1 is the only one currently on the site, but it?s a good start and I?m curious as to what happens next.
? For Erin ? If you in any way enjoy my writing, then you?ll love Ferrett?s amazing gift for stringing letters together. This piece made me think hard about my life as I know it, and as I?ve lived it, and I can?t give a much higher recommendation than that.
Latest Blogs Subscribed To (I?ll do this rarely)
? Dave Navarro ? Yeah, the famous one. He plays a little guitar as well.
? Standing On the Box ? A bouncer who writes well details his experiences and his coworker woes.
? Family Guy Blog ? Frickin Sweet!
? Stephen Silver ? One of the artists for Kim Possible (a cartoon) does sketches of the people he sees. Brilliant and cool.
Latest Blogs Unsubscribed
? Security Awareness for the blah blah. Boooooring.
? Vastly Important Notes: Sorry Phil, I?ve waited long enough. No new posts, no more reading. Give me a buzz if you ever wake up.
Okay, I?ll stop. See you tomorrow.
I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home