The Daddy Diaries: Hard Candy

You could call it "stealing," but I prefer to think of it as "responsible parenting." 

Gregory experienced his first Halloween last week; we dressed him up as Tigger the Tiger and carried him around our block gathering candy from our neighbors. It was the first time I had been trick-or-treating since I was a kid, and it brought back a lot of fun memories. By night's end we had gathered an impressive bounty of Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Milk Duds, Smarties and dozens of other colorful rearrangements of refined sugar.

And since Gregory is only seven months old and with only four teeth in his head, my wife and I determined it would be negligent on our part to allow our infant son to consume such vast amounts of sweets. So with glee we dumped his pumpkin-shaped bucket out on the coffee table and began tense negotiations of splitting up his candy between us. I laid claim to the Peanut M&M's and gladly let Lori have anything with coconut. I figure we can get away with this scam for about two more years before the little guy wises up to what we're doing.

The Tigger costume, in a way, was Gregory's idea. The kid loves to jump, and he's got an energy source to boot. He's like a hybrid cross of a kangaroo and the Energizer Bunny, so it seemed only fitting to dress him as the joyously bounding tiger. 

Seriously, the kid can wear me out. It's a daily routine where I stand him on my lap and he begins to vigorously bend and spring his knees as I launch him into the air and hold him over my head while he squeals with delight.

I do have to be careful as one time while holding him over me he threw up in my face.

He doesn't seem to grow tired of this activity and enjoys doing it again and again. And again.

I turn 40 next month. And while that number doesn't bother me personally, it does have me thinking. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that when my son is 10-years-old, I'll be 50; when he's 20, I'll be 60. I feel okay about my current fitness level, but will I be able to keep up with my son as he grows? This kid is active and looks to be pretty athletic, and I want to be his Little League coach; I want to be able to wrestle with him as a teenager; I want to go backpacking with him in Yosemite; I want to run the Bay to Breakers together every year until I'm 80. 

Obviously, my wife and I got a late start on having kids, which I think has some advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of being older parents is that we are a little more stable and have healthier habits then we did ten years ago as newlyweds. Gone are the days of sweetened cereal, drive-thru dinners, and late-night bowls of ice cream. Now we eat high-fiber twigs with non-fat milk, have fruits and veggies with most meals, and our meat of choice is ground turkey with which we make everything: turkey burgers, turkey tacos, turkey chile, turkey milkshakes (not really). 

I get a fair amount of exercise just by hanging out with the little kangaroo each day, which leaves me pretty exhausted by the time Lori gets home from work. But I wonder: am I tired because I've been so active, or am I tired because I'm so out of shape? I suspect that a more focused exercise plan, with cardio and weight training, would give me more energy both now and in the years to come. I need to get on this as I realize that my health is not just about me, but has direct impact on my wife and son. 

So with this in mind, I decided to give away almost all of the Halloween candy—even the M&Ms. I also signed up for the (aka "The Turkey Trot") which gives me a nice training goal. While not actually running, my wife and I will be there striding the 5K course along the Bay with Gregory in the jogging stroller. If you're interested, the Fun Run is on Saturday, Nov. 19th and you can get more info from the South City Parks and Recreation Department. I think we'll make this a yearly tradition for our family, and I encourage all parents (and especially my fellow "Diaper Dudes") to get out there!