I have realised that i havent really written anything about my small child of late or at all on this blog? Anyway i felt i should probably give a suitable update on the joys of parenthood. for those who dont know we are a slung family, attachment parenting, my daughter at 14mnths or so..something like that..is walking down the road happily and pointing at passers by then waving at them. When i get home she gives me a smile, and i ask her to get a book, she wanders of to the bookshelf and picks a book - or rather lunges for whichever one comes to hand and sits with me while i read to her.
On Shabbat we play with woodern blocks given to us what seems like a life time ago by our dear friend Anna.
At night she curls up to sleep in the 'family bed'.
I dont know whether i make a good or a bad father - it seems very hard to tell. I find the chaos - the constant mess - very difficult, however, her smile, and more to the point her giggle is fantastic. She laughs when things dont happen in the way she thinks they should. If she rolls a ball across a table towards me and i dont catch it she finds it the funniest thing in the world - but is completly unammused by the failure of anyone else to catch it if its rolled to them. I hope that she will always giggle at the areas where my ability is lacking !
How to Get Home in the Fog
7 years ago
This is a very sweet description of playing with your daughter. I remember that remarkable time when they are first discovering the basics of how things work. I really liked co-sleeping; my husband not so much. It did get a bit crowded after a while! Now the oldest is at the age where she is rather protective of her space – no entry to her room without permission. I remember all the dire warnings from the anti-attachment crowd, but of course my girls sleep fine and have no issues about it, just as I expected. Attachment parenting is very natural and warm. I’m not always very good at it – my temper means that I’m always apologizing for being impatient and snappish. That’s actually why it was so valuable for me. A more rigid style would call up my worst traits.
ReplyDeleteI hope your spiritual explorations are rewarding. Someone in another comment mentioned finding a messianic synagogue. We used to attend one here, although I found it too closely aligned with conservative charismatic evangelism to my taste. Results vary, of course! Still, if you’ve found a rabbi who is welcoming, that’s a wonderful opportunity.