Wow, where does the time go? One minute it's the end of December and the next minute January is already gone and so is February. So here we are in 2013, with the first two months already gone and I still haven't written an update. It goes without saying it's been a bit of a busy time around here. Having some sniffles and stomach bugs run amok through the house doesn't help much either. After a little over two months of not feeling good I finally went to the doctor and discovered I had the Flu, strep throat and a sinus infection all at the same time. No wonder I didn't much feel like writing. Nyah seems to be getting all the rest of her teeth all in a continuous string while maintaining a bit of the sniffles. Potty training Logan has been a real adventure for sure. At least we have had many trips to the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Denver Zoo and the Children's Museum of Denver. Add to this some Story times at the Golden Public Library and we have not been at rest very much. I almost forgot to mention both kids are now in Gymnastics on Saturday morning so Philly gets to enjoy some very active time with the kiddos. We even had the chance to enjoy the warm January we've been having and take the kids for a hike a Chautauqua in Boulder with Grandma Ellie. As I'm working on this update it seems we are finally having a decent snow storm for once. Heavy thick flakes are falling and we could get a decent amount on the ground. Philly and Logan built a cool snowman yesterday as the previous snow melted to the perfect consistency for packing. Today is the perfect day to make yummy blueberry pancakes and banana bread from scratch. I just wanted to do a quick update today so people knew we are still here. I'll try to stay back in the swing of things with the updates.
Cheers for now,
Aaron
Sunday, February 24, 2013
It's Complicated
I think the title is a bit of an understatement. Here we are with spring rapidly approaching and we are again faced with interesting life decisions. We seem to have the same discussion each year about this time for the past 3 years. Do we move or do we stay. It sounds simple enough on its own. Then you start to add in the variables, 2 kids with another on the way. We own two very different properties in the same basic area. We are about to find out if we are having a boy or girl join us in July. If we do move, do we rent or sell this current house. Should this kind of decision be purely financial or emotional or both. Being in a state of flux can be stressful at times and at this moment, detrimental to my sleep patterns.
As I write this in the middle of the night since I can't sleep, I wonder at how complicated things have become over the years. I'm talking about over the past few decades and in a much broader scope than just my personal situation. What is it that has changed the family dynamic, or has it even changed. Are homes and the way we live so different from the 60's and 70's to today. What made closed style floor plans effective back then. Is an open floor plan in a house undesirable for any reason? Do we really need a massive house with a room for each person? As a still new parent who is trying to figure it all out I wonder about this when I can't sleep at night. I lay in bed and evaluate how things are going. Did I make the correct decision about nap time today? Did the kids eat a well rounded variety of foods today? Are they happy? Are they learning what they need in order to be great adults some day?
I'm sure many other parents out there have similar thoughts. Or at least I hope they do, if not than I really feel silly. Is the lack of sleep showing yet?
It seems like each generation tries to find their way the best they can. I feel like my wife and I have a very different parenting style than our parents. They likely had a very different style than their parents and their grandparents before them. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to get at here, but at the core its all the same. As parents we try to do the best job we can while trying to maintain a calm outward demeanor and let our kids know that they are safe, loved and have nothing to worry about. While inside we have multiple worries and doubts about ourselves and our impact on our children. I wonder if the information age and technology have changed the family dynamic. I also wonder if we just over analyze every little thing we do, just because we were taught to always question. Is our constant state of flux do to some internal desire to grow and change or is it something else? I don't think now is the time to try and answer all these questions. It is just thought provoking and a constant theme in the back of my mind. It will be many years until we discover if we made the right moves as parents. Well in reality we will never know.
Back to the complicated bit, the housing decision. We are currently dealing with the thought of moving back into our townhouse which is currently a rental. We need to refinance the property and due to the market conditions we need to live in it to do so. In addition our current home would sell quickly if we put it on the market. But it would also rent very well. Where we live now we have a large yard and more internal square footage. Our townhouse has less space inside but it is more usable. Plus it just "feels" better and makes you smile while you're there. However there is no yard. It probably sounds silly to someone who lives in New York or another city but the yard seems to be our biggest guilt trip. This kind of goes back to the whole best intentions of parenting thing. Is a yard important for kids. In our daily routine, the kids and I get out a lot. Sometimes depending on weather we do get stuck in the house. But the funny thing is we are rarely in the back yard. It sort of serves as a place for the kids to be contained when we need to do yard work. I realize I'm being quite immature at the moment and essentially looking for some outside validation that its okay to not have a yard. I feel like we will be judged as parents if we deny our kids the privilege of having a back yard. But at the same time I try to think of my upbringing. We moved a lot when I was growing up. Every year in fact until I was in high school. In my younger years we always had a yard. Funny thing is I don't remember the times I spent in my yard. I more remember the times I was away from my house. Interesting how that works.
To sum up, I have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. I have the best of intentions and a lot of hope and love. Regardless of whether or not the family dynamic has changed over the years, there are constants that remain. Parents will always worry about their kids but they will also always love them.
Cheers for now,
Aaron
As I write this in the middle of the night since I can't sleep, I wonder at how complicated things have become over the years. I'm talking about over the past few decades and in a much broader scope than just my personal situation. What is it that has changed the family dynamic, or has it even changed. Are homes and the way we live so different from the 60's and 70's to today. What made closed style floor plans effective back then. Is an open floor plan in a house undesirable for any reason? Do we really need a massive house with a room for each person? As a still new parent who is trying to figure it all out I wonder about this when I can't sleep at night. I lay in bed and evaluate how things are going. Did I make the correct decision about nap time today? Did the kids eat a well rounded variety of foods today? Are they happy? Are they learning what they need in order to be great adults some day?
I'm sure many other parents out there have similar thoughts. Or at least I hope they do, if not than I really feel silly. Is the lack of sleep showing yet?
It seems like each generation tries to find their way the best they can. I feel like my wife and I have a very different parenting style than our parents. They likely had a very different style than their parents and their grandparents before them. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to get at here, but at the core its all the same. As parents we try to do the best job we can while trying to maintain a calm outward demeanor and let our kids know that they are safe, loved and have nothing to worry about. While inside we have multiple worries and doubts about ourselves and our impact on our children. I wonder if the information age and technology have changed the family dynamic. I also wonder if we just over analyze every little thing we do, just because we were taught to always question. Is our constant state of flux do to some internal desire to grow and change or is it something else? I don't think now is the time to try and answer all these questions. It is just thought provoking and a constant theme in the back of my mind. It will be many years until we discover if we made the right moves as parents. Well in reality we will never know.
Back to the complicated bit, the housing decision. We are currently dealing with the thought of moving back into our townhouse which is currently a rental. We need to refinance the property and due to the market conditions we need to live in it to do so. In addition our current home would sell quickly if we put it on the market. But it would also rent very well. Where we live now we have a large yard and more internal square footage. Our townhouse has less space inside but it is more usable. Plus it just "feels" better and makes you smile while you're there. However there is no yard. It probably sounds silly to someone who lives in New York or another city but the yard seems to be our biggest guilt trip. This kind of goes back to the whole best intentions of parenting thing. Is a yard important for kids. In our daily routine, the kids and I get out a lot. Sometimes depending on weather we do get stuck in the house. But the funny thing is we are rarely in the back yard. It sort of serves as a place for the kids to be contained when we need to do yard work. I realize I'm being quite immature at the moment and essentially looking for some outside validation that its okay to not have a yard. I feel like we will be judged as parents if we deny our kids the privilege of having a back yard. But at the same time I try to think of my upbringing. We moved a lot when I was growing up. Every year in fact until I was in high school. In my younger years we always had a yard. Funny thing is I don't remember the times I spent in my yard. I more remember the times I was away from my house. Interesting how that works.
To sum up, I have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. I have the best of intentions and a lot of hope and love. Regardless of whether or not the family dynamic has changed over the years, there are constants that remain. Parents will always worry about their kids but they will also always love them.
Cheers for now,
Aaron
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