(On Responsible Paternal Parenting)
I am happy and fulfilled every time my beloved son, Evawwen, is with me. We get to follow a delightful yet educational and responsible routine.
As soon as we get home to my place, I settle him in his onesie in our room and let him play his computer games while I prepare our dinner and snack in the kitchen after I have changed clothes myself.
When dinner is ready, we eat together; sharing a few laughter. (Evawwen is such a humorous boy; his current topic is ‘failed pickup lines.’ “Daddy, do you want to hear some new pickup lines that I learned?” I said, what pickup lines? “Daddy! You don’t know? Get out of here!” Where do I go? “Daddy!”)
Afterwards, we go to our room and we watch a movie, listen to music, play with action figures, I read him a book, practise his handwriting, or share stories with each other over dessert or snacks.
But the moment 9:30 p.m. strikes, I begin to remind him that playtime is over and sleeptime has come. I turn off the big white lights and switch on the dim lamp and tuck him under the warm comforter beside me and stroke his hair, which he likes.
By 10 he is in dreamland. That’s when I attend to my personal hobbies…reading, writing, and finally, listening to loud music (whatever genre fits my current mood) on my expensive leak-free headphones…while glancing at the face of sleeping Evawwen once in a while.
Such paternal bliss!
My immortality, breathing right here beside me–
quiet,
serene,
beautiful…
Till I myself find my own way to the land of abstract serenity, but not before peeking into the future of positive probabilities and weaving new dreams for old while imagining the whole of the moon in the melting blue skies.
The Last Leaf
Raising children does not need to amount to disciplining nor to a boring or rigid set of rules. While parents, naturally, take the lead, both they and their children should be able to learn from each other. Parenting, like any mutually beneficial relationship, should be two-way, give-and-take; without the need for one party to extremely dominate the other. Yes, dealing with children may be tough at times, particularly for single fathers or mothers, especially in this information-overload age; however, by being interactive, respectful, and fun, rearing one’s kids can certainly be not only beneficial for the restless youngling but also a fulfilling learning curve for the nurturing parent.
