I have been writing a column for the Fort Collins Coloradoan every other sunday since August 2009. This regular gig represented my first published work as a real "Writer." The column has allowed me to do several things. First, it gives me a platform from which to express my feelings on the challenging and rewarding job of parenting. Second, I have forced myself to keep a record of my daughters' progress through life. My wife, Tanya, and I will surely appreciate this in a couple of decades. The kids, maybe not so much. Third, the regular deadline requires me to write even when I may not want to. This has helped me become a more attentive and creative writer in my fiction as well, which is my true passion.
Tanya has been prodding me to extend the range of my column to more than just the readership of the Coloradoan. She thinks my insights are valid enough to be welcomed by more than the handful of people who read it now. I have resisted (writers are notoriously fearful of people actually reading their work) but I'm finally doing what every good husband should do: I'm following my wife's advice.
I've decided to post my columns on The Colorado Writer. I will post one regularly in the form of a blog, and I will post the link on my Facebook page for, hopefully, better exposure.
Who knows.
Here's the pilot column, originally printed August 30, 2009. Enjoy.
Youngsters Utterances are Worth a Listen
Write it down or you'll forget it.
That was the first piece of parenting advice I got from my mother. It came even before Ella, now 6 years old, was born. As with every other piece of unsolicited advice from my parents in the past 35 years, I nodded and pretended to hear it.
After all, who really listens to their mother?
Once Ella began speaking and quickly became more eloquent, the comincal phrases flew at us like advice from a nosy in-law. My wife and I never had pen and paper when we needed them. We'd lie in bed, exhausted from full-time work followed by hours of chasing and cleanups and crying. We'd laugh at our daughter's unintentional genuis and fall asleep without writing anything down.
Every few months, we wrote down in the baby book what we could remember from the black hole of our minds known as the first 2 years. We cursed ourselves for not following (all together now: "I told you so") my mother's sage advice. When we found out my wife, Tanya, was pregnant with Sophia, now witty and dynamic at 3 and a half, we promised we would be diligent in our data recording. We didn't want to hear it from you-know-who.
My mother can belabor a point with the best of them.
Six years later, I still can't say I've transcribed every clever turn of phrase, every grammatically incorrect utterance or every public embarrassment. Nor do I claim the title of most organized parent. I have realized, however, that unrecorded memories fade fast.
Over the past few months, I assiduously compiled a list of the timely and amusing things my kids said. After Tanya and I looked them over and were brought to tears with laughter, I realized they were more than just cute. These pearls provided lessons, for life in general and parenting in specific.
So I decided to write this column, "Wee Wisdom," with the intention of not only entertaining but encouraging us all to do what I failed to do six years ago: listen.
The future of the world is in our children's hands. If we pay attention to them instead of dismissing their brilliance as trite (admit it: we are all guilty) we may yet achieve what seems impossible. It is our responsibility to encourage and applaud their expression and their ideas. Surely we can learn something from those we are entrusted to teach.
I am fortunate to have a schedule that allows me more time to spend with my kids than the average dad. I care about children. I am proud to share my life with you.
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