My third son has now been born. He is a big man; 9lb 10 oz. My wife delivered him without pain relief since he was so keen to come join the gang that the midwives and anaesthetist could not get the epidural to work quickly enough. Afterwards, my wife was quite pleased to have had a completely natural birth and she seems to have experienced some of that spiritual feeling that moms talk of. Still, given the choice she says she would still have opted for pain relief and, as a soldier, I completely support that. The analogy for me would be a battle injury; "Would you like some morphine for that shrapnel wound, soldier, or would you prefer a natural injury?"
No 3 is doing well. He is 5 weeks old but goes to sleep at 2000 and wakes about 0200 to feed and then again about 0500. That is fairly easy going for a newborn but he seems to understand that his dad is old and needs some rest. Actually, I enjoy feeding him in the middle of the night. We watch movies and sport together and there is just me and him; no-one else to interfere or criticise (as women seem to have to do by instinct). It is the only time I get to choose what we watch.
He is putting on weight like a viking. He already fills out clothes for a 3 month old baby so clearly L will be No 8 to B's Blind and G's Open side flankers. Unless, of course, he wants to dance or play football (which are much the same, aren't they?).
Friday, 28 May 2010
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Understand Me!
One of my little men can be a bit naughty. He clearly does it for attention but he also does it when we are all playing together. He deliberately does things to disrupt the game or bathing process or whatever. It is very frustrating at times and difficult not to get very cross. Do all Fathers have this sense?
But I have jusfinished reading Jean-Louis Fournier's book "Where We Going Daddy" and this has made me reconsider the situation. Actually the book made me cry and I am a soldier; we don't cry easily but the man's pain is heartbreaking. The book also made me realise how fortunate I am to have such perfect children because it is about being a father to two very disabled children. Fournier describes a moment when his son, who can not speak, constantly and deliberately throws his ball into places that require the father to come retrieve it. The boy finds his dad and takes him by the hand to fetch the ball. This annoys the father until he realises that being led to fetch the ball is the only time he holds hands with his son. So as well as making me sad, the book also made me realise that, as a father, it is my responsibility to understand how my toddler feels, not his responsibility to explain it to me.
It is a book that is devastating and thought provoking, especially if you are a father, I strongly recommend it:
But I have jusfinished reading Jean-Louis Fournier's book "Where We Going Daddy" and this has made me reconsider the situation. Actually the book made me cry and I am a soldier; we don't cry easily but the man's pain is heartbreaking. The book also made me realise how fortunate I am to have such perfect children because it is about being a father to two very disabled children. Fournier describes a moment when his son, who can not speak, constantly and deliberately throws his ball into places that require the father to come retrieve it. The boy finds his dad and takes him by the hand to fetch the ball. This annoys the father until he realises that being led to fetch the ball is the only time he holds hands with his son. So as well as making me sad, the book also made me realise that, as a father, it is my responsibility to understand how my toddler feels, not his responsibility to explain it to me.
It is a book that is devastating and thought provoking, especially if you are a father, I strongly recommend it:
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