My Tadpole

Last night after giving Dan a bath and trying to put a diaper on him, he pointed to his thing and said, “My tadpole.” I was shocked. I had to ask him again to make sure if I heard him correctly, “Your what?” He replied, “My tadpole.” I do not know where he got that from, but I thought it was quite imaginative.

At bedtime, Dao picked up a Dr. Seuss’s book and said, “Can we read this book. It’s my favorite book called Close Your Eyes When You Read.” When he handed the book to me and the actual title is I Can Read With My Eyes Shut.

Being a parent is such a challenge. I didn’t expect it to be so stressful. I had no idea what I got myself into. I am not a good or a perfect parent. I still don’t have a clue what I am doing, but I am glad and thankful for to be a father.

When Dao turned terrible two, I was being very uptight with him. I didn’t want him to be disobedient. I didn’t want him to embarrass me. I didn’t want him to push me to the edge. I failed all three. There were times I just didn’t know what to do with him. I would let him scratched me, screamed or threw whatever tantrum. I was just being unresponsive. My only solution was that he would grow out of it and I am so glad that he had. He is much more reasonable and he’s no longer jealous of his little brother, expect for when they fought over toys. He’s being a really good brother. Dan picked up his speaking skills from interacting with his other brother.

Now that Dan is in his terrible-two state and he is much tougher than Dao, but he is not like Dao used to be. For my part, I am taking on a more relaxing approach. Because they can now play together, I let them enjoy themselves and just keep an eye on them from a distance. If they break into a fight, I could see who started the trouble. Again I don’t claim to be a good father and I am usually shy away from that compliment. I am just doing the best I can.