Totally 80’s Summer

 

Greetings Team Daddy,  I hope the warmth of summer has filled your mind with innocent memories of the good old days  when you were small the world was big and during this time in July  summer seemed like it could last forever.  Remember when the only thing you thought about at the end of the day was how to do it all over again only better?  Or spending a few hours on a steamy summer morning picking wild black raspberries, then selling them on the side of the road.  Or perhaps that feeling of wonder by investigating if one could actually get full by way of licking honey suckle in the golden afternoon light.  I myself get taken back to my youth every morning I step outside and feel the humidity and smell the air. I always say the same thing in my mind. ”it’s going to be a scaucher!”   

I guess it’s easy to be nostalgic when you’re a parent. We naturally want to provide a space where our children can experience the magic of life and wonder of nature.  We long for a simple time.  I am getting a little concerned that simplicity has been drowned out by the ever present wave of technology in most homes across America our home included.  Let’s face it, I had all these adventures outside. During a time when TV consisted of 3 stations one of which came in fuzzy.  A time when the only thing on TV in the day time was soap operas. Now at our home we have over 500 channels as well as movies galore.  Trying to find something to watch can resemble looking for a gift at Wal-Mart.  Half way through your exhausted and have found nothing.  Back in the day when damning up steams to make a swimming hole with your friends at night somehow we ALL found something to watch or read at night. 

 Which brings me to another point.  I read a great piece Sunday in our local paper on the recent passing of actors like Andy Griffith. Then the other day Ernest Borgnine passed.  The writer made a case that I have been thinking about for days now.  When we grow up having 3 stations meant everyone who was up watched Johnny Carson.  Didn’t matter what side of the isle or which side of town we all watched Johnny late night.  It gave us all a place of common ground the next day.  I guess you could say TV brought us together back then as a family and a community.  Now with all the choices everyone has their own show to watch. These shows express the opinion you want to hear.  So in my mind now TV has pulled us apart.  We no longer have to watch-listen to anyone who doesn’t share our-your opinion.  As a result we are less empathic to others and less connected as a global village.

 So why not turn off the glowing orb or at least one of them today and enjoy some simple pleasures with your family.  You will be thankful you did.  I wish I did but I turned on VH1 the other day and saw Totally 80s.  There was Kenny Loggins perferming “I’m all right “.  He was in a bold outfit complete with red pleated no ass pants a white belt and white shoes.  As he kicked speakers with his Capizio’s I couldn’t help but think…Thank goodness I survived the 80’s.  Lucky I was outside having FUN!  Thanks for stopping by.

 The Daddy Adjustment

We are in this thing together

Hello Team Daddy, I hope you are well.  I have been really trying to do an excellent job taking care of my family and the result is this blog has suffered tremendously.  You know it’s really not easy.  Frankly I have a lot of respect for any single parent out there.  I myself have so very much to be grateful for. We have a beautiful healthy baby.  I am home full time with her, and even though we were pretty happy having duel income and no kids. (dinks)  Life at our home is much happier now with half the income and twice the love.

Back to having an even greater respect for those who do wonders with much less than I. Sometimes it is hard for us to be empathetic towards others because of our own complaints and personal drama.  But when you experience something remotely close, it clicks for you.  Don’t feel weird, that’s just the feeling of learning Bro.  Having a daughter has definitely softened my outlook and cooled my judgmental ways.

I think if we all experienced a little of someone else’s plight this world would be a little warmer of a place.  What ever happened to “it takes a village to raise a child”?  Well if you lived in our village, I don’t think you would want some of these people raising your child. Wow we really have evolved to a ME and MINE society.  Hey I can’t blame them.  If you’re not super wealthy, it takes all you have to keep things together now a day.  Why not admit that we all struggle sometimes and we all could use a little help now and then.  Just remember team Daddy. We are all in this thing together, and no one gets out alive. So do your best for your child’s future while you are here.  Help educate and try your best not to discipline. That goes for everyone, not just your little one.

 Listen if you haven’t figured it out, I still struggle with this new career of being a Dad.  It’s natural, so don’t go beating yourself up as I do at times when things don’t go according to plan.  If nothing else this blog should be an honest yet blurry eyed attempt at some true daddy journalism. So please don’t take this all as complaining, I just like telling on myself to the world. It is my intension that when you read all this, you will not feel alone and like a bad person.  But know that I promise to always be a partner in creating a better place for our children to grow up in.  If you see one of our other partners’ out there who look like the struggle is getting to them, why not lend them a hand.  It will come back to you and yours I promise.  Now that’s how you really take care of you and yours…by taking care of me and mine.   

Thanks for stopping by and have Fun!

The Daddy Adjustment