All About Rick
You want to know what’s going on in my head? Neither do I!It isn’t fair.
It’s been a while since I posted a blog onto this site. I’ve just kind of been pre-occupied by other things. There have been a multitude of changes in the past 2 months… changes my wife and I didn’t expect to happen, but are happy that they have. Jennie, my wife, has been working towards earning her master’s degree in library science for the past year. It is an online nationally accredited program that takes about two years to complete. While she began this venture, I was still in the midst of working a crap job in the printing industry and, to be quite honest, very deflated and unoptimistic for what the future may hold for me. Then in the blink of an eye Jennie is offered a full time librarian position while still earning her degree! Huge opportunity; surely one to not be passed up. So we say, “let’s do it” and I, gladly, put in my notice at my job… and they nearly fire me when I do (wonderful way to almost end a 2 and a half year relationship). I don’t care because I have given them too much and they haven’t given me anything. So… are roles are then reversed. She is now the full time worker, and I am the one staying home with the kids. I don’t think that anyone can imagine what it is like to stay at home with a 3 year old and a 1 year old every day until they actually do it. I didn’t understand it at first, until about a month in I would ask my wife questions like, “how the hell did you do it for so long” and “did you ever feel like throwing them across the room”? She laughs because she has thought it too. It is a VERY trying job… more trying then anything I have ever experienced. I have a newly formed respect for my wife and for all stay at home parents. Its not easy… not in the least. And in some ways… it’s not fair. Our jobs- or careers as some might call it- reaps the least amount of rewards for the most amount of work. Other parents in these same shoes joke and say, “I’m just trying to make it to the end of the day without killing anyone”. I get that now… I know where these people are coming from. It’s not all bad, of course. There are days when my cheeks hurt so much from all the laughing that I’ve done. It’s just that when we have bad days, they’re VERY bad. We need more recognition for all the hard work that we do. There was a study done somewhere and they calculated a stay-at-home parent’s salary based off all the skills and work methods utilized on a yearly basis by these people. Over $120,000 a year…whoa. And you know what, I believe it. I would love to have even 10% of that. Please respond with thoughts and comments. If you liked this blog, pass it on please!
Big Decisions
I have a friend who is currently in the midst of making a big decision about whether or not to go to Graduate school. She is 23 years old and has never been faced with such a monumental choice. One part of her is very excited and wants to see what she can do with it, the other part is deathly afraid of failure. Both views are valid and it is important to acknowledge both of them. The irony about the situation though is that it seems like her decision to go to grad school is based off of other people’s opinions of what she should do. Like I say, she is 23 and now that I’m 30 I know how incredibly young that is. There are going to be bigger choices in her life, even in the next few years, that will be more monumental. It will be important for her to learn now how to make a decision that will benefit her later rather than please those pushing for her to make a choice that may not satisfy her. She is smart and I know she can make a great choice, but she has to first be with the one person who can help her make the right choice: herself.
Any choice anyone makes that is so life altering should never be influenced by others. It is a good chance to see who truly respects you because when you make a choice, there will be those who support you and those who won’t. Those who do you can probably file under “friends” and those who don’t you can file under… “enemies”? Probably not enemies, but definitely not someone you would want to associate with on a regular basis. There are enough negative things in life. Why surround yourself with negative people? It isn’t worth it.
Another Blog On Sleep
Check out this link about sleep:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080610/hl_time/howmuchsleepdoyoureallyneed
I’ve always felt that when it comes to sleep that you have o figure out what is best for you! Just pay really close attention to how long you sleep and how you feel each day. Some people may think that they need more, but they just might need less (i.e. my wife!). Jennie says that she needs about 8 to 9 a night, but when she gets that amount she’s incredibly tired!
UPDATE: She Fell Asleep
Whoa.. what a day. I took the little ones out and it was getting close to Lily’s nap time so I thought that I would continue to drive and see if she would doze off in the car. In the car or at home, a nap is a nap. So we drove. I put on a CD that was just ocean waves to see if that would help. It didn’t. We drove for an hour with the sounds of the coast playing softly on the speakers and she was constantly asking me when we were going to get home. After an hour of this venture, we got home and I laid her in bed. She cried, she screamed and she was pissed. However I stuck to my guns and never lost my cool. Eventually she fell asleep and was out for 2 hours.
I’m not sure if it is something that will last, but like I said: a nap is a nap. This might get her into the habit of taking one at the same time every day. I’ll use this instance as a reminder of what a good girl she was to take one and how wonderful she felt afterwards. Sure, I had to be a hard-ass to get her to finally take a nap. I had to take away toys and I had to be firm, never once losing my temper. These are the brakes when you are trying to raise a kid right.
For God’s Sake, Fall Asleep!
We all get pretty grumpy when we don’t get a nap, right? Well that’s for us… us being the average age of 28-30. So what happens when a 3 year old doesn’t get a nap? Utter insanity! Let me give you the break down.
So my wife, Jennie, has started working at this new librarian position full time. I’m very proud of her. But I think that the schedule change and just the fact that I’m now home all the time has affected the kids in a negative way. Not to say I’m more strict than Jennie or anything, but I’m definitely different. Jack is doing just fine. I think he is at a young enough age where he won’t care any more or less. However Lily is another issue. She has been skipping naps and forcing herself to stay up until it is time to go to bed. There are plenty of kids that stop taking naps this early in their childhood. I was one of them. The issue is that Lily needs a nap. By 5 o’clock she is lost and directionless- constantly rubbing her eyes and frantically trying to initiate arguments with me. I’ve been able to keep my cool pretty well and walk away from her when she gets like that, but it’s no longer about “dealing with it”. The simple truth is that she has to get a nap now. She is no good without one and doesn’t benefit without it. More often than not she is able to take a nap in the car about the same time I lay her down for one. Maybe if I spare a little gas to drive until she sleeps to get her into the habit of doing so at the same time every day wouldn’t be a bad idea. I just wish that little thought will pop in her head when she realizes that she does better with one also. Maybe when she’s 16!
