The TV Junkie to teach what NOT to do

If you know me well enough, or have lived with me, then you may very well know, I am a TV junkie. It's not by love, but mostly laziness. I don't even realize that I'm doing it. I've been known to watch 4 different thing on TV - at the same time. I used to pride myself in it.

Back in the day when video stores were the only way to get movies in the house, I could walk into a store with my friends, and literally tell them what 90% of the movies on the shelves were about. I'd seen everything. No matter how bad. Most of the movies I'd seen multiple times. (How depressing it is to think about the time I lost because of this addicition.) I guess the one thing gleened from all of this watching is that it gave me thousands of ideas for stories, movies, etc. However, I've never capitalized on that, because, you guessed it, I'm too busy watching TV to put it down on paper.

My point is this. I do NOT want my kids growing up with this habit. And I think I can be successful at keeping them away from it. How? By sheer force. And it leads me to other vexing issues that I realize are short-comings of mine. Patience - I have none. Temper - I can get absolutely steamed at nothing. All of these things, I realize as problems of mine, and I surely don't want my children to learn it through me.

I therefore vow to make these things just part of the past. I plan on teaching them that waiting can be good. That not making snap judgments of peoples qwirky behavior who may impede the greater masses, shows class and dignity. That being rational in high pressure situations is a gift.

I say all of this knowing that best laid plans...well, you know. I was taught the correct things, some of them stuck, some didn't. I realize my view on the world is very much skewed from the norm, and I don't intend to change that about me or my child. Besides, the more I push in one direction, surely the bigger the boomerang effect will be.

One thing I'm sure to beat into their heads though is this, MTV is bad and questioning everything, besides my own word, is good.

Fear #1

The baby showers have come and gone, the baby room is nearing completion and I can see my lovely friend sleep waving goodbye from a misty morning train. That latter is my biggest fear.

I am not scared of much of what's to come, other than never having a sound nights sleep again for the next 20 years. The reason I fear that is because I have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex when it comes to sleep. If I don't get enough or if I'm awoken before I want to get up, I'm like Dick Cheney with something to lose - nasty.

My brother can attest to this having woke me many a morning before my desired time. In one instance he woke me at 7:00am the day after a wedding reception to say goodbye as we probably wouldn't see each other for several months. He was met with nothing less than contemptable anger and rage at having been woken up.

This is my fear for the coming months, years and decade of being woken up by a child.

All this being said, just last Thursday morning at about 3:30am, my wife felt it necessary to awaken me. This after I had just gone to sleep at 1:00am. (I'm trying to get all of the late nights out of my system before it's baby time.) To my surprise, I heard her call and graciously woke asking her "What's wrong?" Turned out that she was having a major Braxton/Hicks contraction (this is a preperatory contraction). I breathed her through it, rubbed her back and got her some water. After 20 mintues of not desisting we got out of bed and I dove into internet/book research. I was telling her what women experiencing the same thing on the internet were doing and helped her walk around, etc. At the point where contrations became to frequent I even contacted our doctor and explained the issue, who reassured us all was well.

Afterwards at about 6:30am, I realized I had made it past the first test and kept the beast within at rest. I was pleased with myself to say the least. Not proud, as it was just what any husband would be expected of, just happy I reacted well.

As a side note to this, we've come up with two final sets of names. That is two Thai names and two western names. Thanks to those who commented on the names issue. Suneil, Abigal was a thought, but thinking of yelling that poor girl's name out the window every day at Campus Hill killed the idea. Patty, excellent look into how someone deals with being called by a middle name. Great food for thought.

I'll being updating more frequently as my next big issue is, how to raise a kid outside of capitalist corporate America while living directly in it.