Triple The Dad

Milestones. Every parent worries about them. Is my kids learning to crawl at the right time; are they walking at the right time; talking at the proper time; learning to use toys at the right times; can they point at the right times. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the milestones that save a triplet parent. Save us time; save our lives; save our sanity. These are the ones that sneak by quietly during the maelstrom that is daily life. They are treated largely without fanfare from the books and experts, but probably matter more to a triplet parent's every day life than any of those I named above. Because pretty much every  kid learns to walk. Some take a little longer than others, but absent some real issue, they all do it. Whether they do it today, or tomorrow, or next week, well, it seems  super important - especially at the time - but it really isn't. Walking just introduces a new level of difficulty to your life and enhances all the dangers in the c...

As a follow-up to Monday's post I'm now going to discuss what probably makes you a better Dad than me.  Here goes: You probably have better foresight than I do.  I get myself into a lot of child-related problems simply because I don't look far into the future.  Not even "far," like an hour.  I sometimes end up with crying babies simply because I haven't thought far enough ahead to make bottles in advance, or to prep their highchairs for feeding time.  If it wasn't for the planning of my dear wife, the kids would probably be sitting in one of the two pieces of clothing (dirty, of course) we had for them crying while I frantically make a bottle that is probably 20 minutes overdue. You are probably manlier than I am, and that will do you well in some instances, especially with your sons.  I'm a lot a things; especially manly isn't one of them.  Most of the time I'm OK with that, as I said in Monday's post, I'm comfortable with who I am...

"Better" is hard word to apply to parenting children.  Every child, and indeed, every situation requires its own unique touch.  Its one reason why there are 1 million + advice books, and some higher magnitude order of individual pieces of advice.  What works for you in one situation may not work in another.  Heck, what works with one kid might not work with another kids in the same circumstance, or even the same kid in that circumstances.  If you are reading this post, I most likely don't have to tell you that. Its one reason why I think strictly following or adhering to a certain formulaic parenting style is wrong.  When I hear parents say "I absolutely won't do X," I shudder a little.  We should be doing what works for our kids, not what our own beliefs are. With that in mind, I believe there are some macro-level things that can help any child in any situation.  Here are the 5 areas in which I probably excell more than most Dads.