our little man

9.29.2006

Buying stock in "... For Dummies" books

Before we had Sophia I spent time worrying about what kind of father I would be and if I could provide what my wife and daughter needed from me. I was pretty confident that if I was caring enough and listened well I would do OK, and I think I have. I'm still a little worried about when Sophia starts dating (read terrified) but that is a long time away (at least 25 years). With Ben, I am more worried about what kind of role model I can provide for my little man.

I'm not what you call the most typical man out there. I enjoy sports but don't follow any real closely, I can swing a hammer but am as likely to hit the nail as my finger, and its generally best if I don't try to fix any automotive problems. I know its a stereotype, but I want to provide all of these skills to my boy (and to my girl too, if she would like to learn).

I know that if I can teach Ben to be sensitive to those around him and responsible for his decisions then I will have provided him with the most important skills he needs to be a man, but I don't want to have to send him to one of the grandfathers every time he starts talking about the big game, or asks advice for a car problem. So, my advice is to buy stock in the books for dummies company, because although you can buy a book for online dating for dummies, and crossword puzzle challenges for dummies, you cannot buy a single volume that teaches all of the skills a man is expected to have. Instead I will need to pick up baseball, basketball, football, nascar, auto repair (I actually already have this one), home carpentry, small engine repair, poker, and about a dozen other "for dummies" books. I better get reading!

posted at 9:29 AM by Adam // 1 comments