I thought this time I’d share a few thoughts on parenting that I’ve gleaned so far.

-First, these are my thoughts and experiences and aren’t meant to be saying you should do this. Every kid and every parent is different and there’s no one thing that works for every family and child

-It is exhausting! It definitely takes a while to adjust to being tired all the time, but at some point you just find a way

-Toddlers are adorable! Really they are super cute and do amazing heart-melting things

-They can also be monsters! Sometimes both of these within moments…how is this possible?!

-I am so blessed to have such an amazing parenting partner! Seriously, this job would be so hard without her…single moms and dads are incredible people, because this job is hard enough when you have help. We are always on the same page and working together and it makes life a lot less stressful. My wife rocks!

-I thought I knew happiness before…but there is absolutely nothing in the world like seeing your child do something amazing or adorable and the feeling of pride and happiness that comes along with it

-I’ve noticed it’s very easy for me to raise my voice and yell when my son doesn’t listen, however I’ve also noticed that’s not really the most effective strategy. When he really responds is when I speak calmly and ask him why he’s doing something or explain to him what I am asking. The book linked below has given me a lot of good tips about the development of kids’ brains and some strategies that work well

Whole Brain Child

-That’s not to say I don’t yell, but I try hard and need to keep improving on using other strategies and remembering that he’s still only two years old 🙂

More thoughts to come in another post…

This is fatherhood…