Writing this up on a Sunday morning, trying to write every morning and on Sundays I want to keep it a bit lighter – as I’m normally writing about business and I don’t want to get so dry. This is also “raw” and unedited on the blog here.

Being a new father has been quite the journey – really way cooler than I expected, and one of the biggest benefits is I get to re-live my childhood memories though Miles (my son).

Reading Different Dr Suess Books Each Morning

My parents and sister mailed us a ton of different Dr Suess books when Miles was born. They knew that it was my favorite growing up, and I really believe these kinds of books spark creativity – making you believe anything is possible.

A list of the Dr Suess books I have are:

• The Cat in The Hat
• Green Eggs and Ham
• Oh The THINKS You Can Think
• Dr. Suess’s ABC
• Hop on Pop
• Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
• Horton Hears a Who!
• The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary

Some of these I have decided not to read to Miles until he is older, but the first 6 books on the list I have on a daily rotation. My favorite by far is the Cat in the Hat. Though the Green Eggs and Ham book really does teach about persistence and sales.

I’m told it is good to rotate the same books in a cycle for the kid, so that it “soaks in” as a new book each and every day may get totally overwhelming. While of course I do it for the baby, I also get a pretty cool “kick” from reading these. It brings back memories, for some reason of me being in the Children’s hospital waiting room for our family doctor, Dr Tyrell (I think that is how the name was spelt) – a husband and wife child doctor practice. They would have the waiting room full of toys and books – and I always remember going to the stack of Dr Suess books and reading them in the corner of the room while waiting for my turn to see the doctor.

Wild that these memories seem to surface even more almost thirty years later. Life can be groovy, and we just need to soak it up and enjoy it.

There Can Be Purple Horses

Another strange memory I have is when I got in trouble in kindergarten by the teacher because during our “coloring” homework, I colored a horse purple. She gave me a low star (or whatever the grading criteria was) and when I went to her desk to talk about my assignment she told me that how can I color a horse purple – that have I ever seen a purple horse before? I mentioned I saw it on the movie “Wizard of Oz” and then she got furious with me and insisted to meet with my parents about this.

I remember my parents and I with my kindergarten teacher (Mr Satero I think) and she was explaining to them that I am not following directions and I am back talking her when she tells me there cannot be purple horses (I think I may have told her that you can paint a white horse purple if you need). I think my parents took my side, I can’t clearly remember.

I just remember being so furious about this incident, why can’t a horse be colored purple? And now with the popular book “Purple Cow” 9999 by 9999 it makes me laugh.

It scares me to think how these small incidents can have such a lasting effect on our upbringing – I hope my child can accept being creative and innovative, and not be afraid if a teacher tells him something cannot be or is impossible.

Bringing Up a Kid Makes You Appreciate Your Parents

I have definitely heard it more than once by now, but it is definitely true – when we have a child of our own, then we fully appreciate our parents. And that is certainly the case here, I have to really be patient and ….flexible (not sure if that is the right word) more than ever now. Thinking that they endured the same during my early years on this planet makes me very thankful.

So I’m sure any parent reading this must agree with me. It is a huge job, one of the most important jobs, and one that is definitely not appreciated by the client (the child) until they are old and mature and a parent themselves.

Wondering if there is any way I can get my kid to buy into this earlier (as soon as possible!) so that he can be more appreciative. I am a bit nervous he will be a bit of a tyrant and rebel (like I was, heh) but alas, I will love him regardless.

This is Just The Beginning

I’m told it will get even more fun once the child grows older. Especially for the father, as I can take him outside on trips, bike rides, sports, travel. Boy Scouts – wonder if they have that in China? So now he is so young and is just trying to walk, once he is off learning new things, I do agree with what other parents tell me – it is going to be a lot of fun – especially for me as the daddy!

What do you think? Any tips or advice for me, I know we all have different styles for being a parent, and this topic can be a sensitive one as everyone thinks they are the best parent in the world – but I always keep as open a mind as possible. Comments welcome.