Rookie Dad: March puddle jumping

Some days with a four year-old are a battle. Some days are frustrating. But there never fails to be a dull moment.

Not long after rolling out of bed on Sunday, The Youngling insisted on heading outside to splash in the puddles. Much like an elephant, she never forgets things like how we bought her a pair of rain boots after much insistence on her part in late January.

So, around 11 AM (or 10 AM, I'm not sure as I only set some of the clocks ahead), with a stiff wind blowing from the north, we made our way down the block. She diligently stopped at every puddle she encountered -- even if it was completely glazed over with ice -- and splashed in it. Remember that it was a balmy 30 degrees at this time and while we were both dressed for the weather, I felt cold for her as her thin legs bounced up and down in those partially frozen puddles.

After two blocks we were both cold but at least she was happy.

Rookie Dad: That Bites

Before I left the office the other day I received a phone call from the wife. The Youngling had been sent home with a note from her preschool teacher. That's never good.

It seems that she landed herself in whatever disciplinary area the teacher uses because she got a bit zealous after being appointed line lead for the day.  In The Youngling's head on that specific day she thought that meant that she had been appointed queen of the classroom and when one of her friends tried grabbing a toy during play time, The Youngling bared her teeth and bit her friend.

In what world is it okay in a child's mind to bite someone? I know that kids go through phases like picking their nose or pooping in the closet but what triggers the though in a child's mind to say, "Hey, that toy is mine, I'm gonna bite my friend"?

As kids get older they push and punch and scratch -- maybe even pull hair sometimes but I don't recall anyone ever biting me. Maybe I should get The Youngling in to see a doctor and see if she is actually part vampire. She does seem to prefer nights to mornings.

Anyhow, I hope that the biting was just a one-time occurance because biting your friends usually has a way of coming back to bite you, so to speak.

Rookie Dad: She's a tiny Hulk

My daughter is one who likes to show off her own strength. She is convinced that she can see her muscles growing -- good for her. It's funny too, because she is actually looking at the veins in her wrists -- convinced that those are her muscles so when she expressed her interest in showing me just how strong she was last night while I prepared supper, I sort of brushed it off.

As she came up behind me, I thought that she would simply grab my leg or something similar to that and attempt to pick me up to show her likeness to Hulk. Imagine my surprise when she barreled up behind me, quickly cupped her hands squarely in my crotch and proceeded to lift upwards very quickly.

To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. I actually jumped. Of course The Youngling assumed that she had actually lifted me up off the ground. She won this one.

Rookie Dad: The Day She Was Unfriended

Life is all about change. Without change I know that I would get bored and the same goes for kids. A few weeks ago after I returned home from work I asked my daughter how school had gone for her on the particular day. Her response was that some boy's name that I can't remember didn't want to be her friend any more.

This was shocking to me because I had never before that day heard her mention a boy's name from her preschool class. She routinely mentions two of the three other girls in her class but never a boy's name. It caught me off guard, though, when she mentioned this abruptly ended friendship which I was clueless about. I had no idea what to say and because it didn't seem to phase her in the least I just moved on.

I forgot about it until later that evening. Why would anyone say that they didn't want to be friends with The Youngling? She is probably the most outgoing and friendly kid this side of the Rocky Mountains. While I'm not the type to meddle in my kid's friendships I have to wonder what makes a kid, in all of their randomness, abruptly decide that they no longer want to be friends with another kid?

Rookie Dad: Preschool already?!?

Alright, so the title is a bit misleading because The Youngling hasn't actually began preschool yet but at 3 years and 5 months old she did head out to preschool screening Friday morning and to say that she did well would be the perfect thing to say because she did do quite well. We're convinced now that when she's at home with us as we're trying to work on her counting skills that she's just messing with us.

At home she always skips numbers and gets them out of order but during the preschool screening tests she nailed it - rattling off 1-10 like she had been reciting those numbers for years now.

The biggest problem is that we're not ready for her to start preschool yet. Even if she began in September at the start of the new school year she would be attending preschool for a full two years. Knowing her, I think that she'd grow bored with the slow progress because today at a certain big box retailer she got on a bike and rode it around portions the store as we urged her to stop and follow us instead. At home she rarely, if ever, rides her bike and when she does she often tips over or goes out of control across the street not knowing how to stop.

But back to the preschool thing, she did basically con us into buying her a Curious George lunch box so maybe she is trying to tell us something.

Rookie Dad: The Youngling is getting old -- and excited

As of Wednesday, The Youngling turns three years old. With that milestone comes a big girl bed. And with that big girl bed comes a big girl bedroom. No longer will she call the smallest bedroom in the house her own, she gets a bedroom that isn't just five steps from mommy and daddy's room.

But with that big girl bedroom comes plenty of painting and other basic carpentry work for mommy and daddy -- all while trying to keep a curious and excited three year old out of fresh paint and away from discarded nails and saws.

Excitement, though, comes with the territory and it must come with the age too. Ever since she spent the night with her Grandma and Grandpa on the farm outside of Austin a few weeks ago, she's been planning on going back. The first weekend after her sleepover at their house, she went as far as packing her bag and grabbing her pillow. She begged me to help her put her shoes on and get in my car. She wanted to see the corn, the cats, the Mickey Mouse ball, the beach ball, the crackers, the books and the toys in the basement -- and she wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa too.

In preparation for her next visit to the Austin farm, she has now picked out clothes to wear for the big day and I'm sure if I were to mention that we're just over a week away from Thanksgiving at their house, she'd probably have a bag packed and be trying to open the door to my car.

At this point I'm not sure if she even cares about her new bedroom. Grandma and Grandpa are her focus for the time being.

Rookie Dad: For the Love of Cheese

Kids are weird. Maybe I think that way because I'm more than a few years removed from being one myself. But it really clicked for me this morning as I stood in the kitchen attempting to assemble my lunch before heading out the door.

I had laid out two slices of whatever bread was in the house and was already facing twenty questions from The Youngling.

"Daddy makin' a sandwich?"

"Yeah," I replied.

I walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a tasty new block of my favorite brand of cheddar cheese and the ham which I hoped hadn't turned into a science experiment yet.

"You puttin' ham on your bread daddy?"

"Yep, dad's gotta eat."

I grabbed one of my semi-ancient Ginsu knives out of a drawer and opened the new block of cheese in a way that could have very well resulted in me lying on the floor bleeding to death.

"You gonna put cheese on your bread daddy?"

"Yeah, I'll put two slices of cheese on it like always," I said as The Youngling stood on a dining room chair next to me.

I turned to move my Scoody Doo lunch pail closer and reached for the block of cheddar cheese and the cheese was gone.

I looked to my right and there stood The Youngling with the block of cheese in the corner of her mouth gnawing on it like any normal kid would do to a candy bar.

Laughing now, I asked "Do you want me to cut off a couple of slices of cheese for you?"

"No daddy, I don't want any cheese."

Maybe she actually meant that she didn't want any more cheese. Whatever the case, at least she had something different for breakfast.