Parenting In the 21st Century!

My oldest daughter was born in 2001 and my wife and I had done our homework by reading all the recommended parenting books. We thought we were ready for our new duties as new parents. We weren’t. I couldn’t believe all the stuff she needed. My wife handled this better than I did. But, I felt overwhelmed by all this new stuff in our small 900 square foot condominium. I wondered how something so tiny needed so much stuff and space.

Next came the diaper changes. I had no idea that it would be so often and so complicated. When I gave my daughter a diaper change my wife would remind me to use the wipes from the wipey warmer. “Was this really necessary?” I’d ask. “It sure was,” my wife would reply. “Babies can lose up to one degree of temperature while being changed,” she’d remind me.

I would just shake my weary head, not saying another word because I didn’t want my wife or the world to think that my daughter’s health via her body temperature wasn’t important enough for me to hunt down the wipey-warmer stash of wipes, regardless of where they were hidden among all her new stuff. I kept thinking, I bet my mom didn’t use a wipey-warmer… Sometimes, it was just so confusing.

Hey, you know what? The bottom line is that you love your child. So don’t sweat the small stuff. You won’t be perfect in this still kind of new 21st century, but your parenting skills will be enough. Just follow a common sense approach and don’t listen to everyone who is overwhelming you with all the talk about how you have to have this and you have to do that.

Now, as my Granddaddy always said, “Go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us.” Remember that you really are strong enough to handle all of the 21st century parenting pressures, regardless of how new they are. And once again parents, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…

Daniel Blanchard is a New Britain Schoolteacher who is also a bestselling and award-winning author, speaker, educator, and a TV host. Learn more about Dan at: www.GranddaddysSecrets.com