Parenting

My experience as a parent so far reminds me of the opening to The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

…But the mood was very different up in the hayloft.  The farm cat had just given birth to her first litter. She was determined to be a good mother.

And never yell at her kittens.

But that approach would not last very long.

Because Milo, one of her kittens, was trouble from the very beginning.

 

As soon as he could walk, he began wandering to the edge of the hayloft.

“Milo Dear,” his mother said,

“That’s not a good idea!”

…

“COME BACK HERE MILO!”

she yelled.

Milo is on my short list for boy names for baby number two.

Van has always been the type of kid who immediately wanders to the edge of the hayloft. Part of me is very proud of his adventurous nature, part of me is worried about keeping him alive for the next 18 years, and part of me is surprised by how much yelling I end up doing at someone I love so much. 

I certainly had an image of the kind of parent I thought I would be; it has been surprising to find out what kind of parent I actually am. Some good, some bad, and some funny. 

I had ideas of being strict but I am surprised by how much I love indulging him. I have to fight the urge to give him everything he wants. I think I feel his emotions stronger than he does. Each smile is multiplied by a thousand in me, along with each tear.