We rock this, rock that, and that’s a fact
Cuz the Jam-On Crew will rock your body right back
Like steam locomotive ride off the track
And give the whole wide world a funk attack
To the beat yo, get down
Let me rock it to the rhythm of the funky sound
From hill to hill, from sea to sea
When the jam’s on rockin’ everybody screams
Jam on it
- Newcleus, “Jam-On It”
I often hope that the boy doesn’t grow up thinking I’m a complete weirdo. It doesn’t help that I dance in front of him. A lot.
Usually, it’s when he’s in his eatin’ chair and starts getting fussy. I distract him so he can be a happy eater. This distraction consists of me busting dance moves that combine the MC Hammer, the chicken, shoulder shimmies, the robot, and various maneuvers I recall from Janet Jackson videos.
I’m not too proud to do it. I wipe up this kid’s bum nuggets — dancing’s nothing. And it works. He either laughs or stares with mouth gaping and bananas falling out.
So, basically he’ll think I’m way odd or he’ll become a dancer. Ooo, he could be a breakdancer! (no headspins allowed) He practices plenty when we try to change his diaper.
Whatever happens, dancing will be a big part of this family. Something about the joy of the LORD makes it hard for us to keep still. And we think He’s happy about it. Even the shoulder shimmies.
This post is part of Watercooler Wednesday on Ethos.
(photos: minifig, foxypar4, jaymce, Mr.Thomas, mrtobo, sean_dreilinger)
With wisdom which means
Wise words being spoken
- Eric B. & Rakim, “My Melody”
Despite waking up several times during the night, I think this time of parenting is easy. We feed the boy, we play, we change the boy, repeat. But a time is coming when my words and their meaning, not just their tone, will have a lasting impact on him.
Proverbs 4:1 says ‘Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.’
So what kind of wisdom will I pass down to the boy? Well, biblical wisdom is obviously the most important. Things like the Gospel, faith, joy, obedience, and humility. But there’s also a “life wisdom” that’s been shaped by my personal experiences.
Here are four of the many life wisdom lessons I hope to teach him:
COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE
I’ve seen it countless times in all arenas of life: family, work, relationships, band, sports, etc. People don’t communicate, conflicts break out, and the results are almost always bad. With love and tact, be sure to communicate how you feel, what your goals are, what your reservations are. It’s not always easy, but it’s the best and most loving way to deal with people.
KNOW WHEN TO BE FUNNY
I’m a goof. And that reminds me of this one time, my friend Joey was at the ATM with a long line and I yelled out, “Hey Joey, is your PIN still 2041?!” and then we went back to his house at 32413 Maple Ave and… oops, there I go again. Just thinking about my errors in timing brings back the salty, buttery taste of my foot. You gotta be cool and pick the right time to slip the jokes in. A perfectly-timed joke is just smooth.
NO REGRETS, BUT LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKS
I used to be the king of regret. I still sort of am, but that’s usually ‘menu regret’ (a topic for another post). I would dwell on missed or failed opportunities to the point where I could’ve sworn it physically ached me. Despite what we consider failures, God is sovereign and He’s not gonna be like “One coin? Are you serious?… You had your chance and you blew it.” Learn from those low points so you can avoid them next time.
(and i left that ‘e’ out there on purpose. good timing?)
LIFE AND THE TIME WE HAVE IS PRECIOUS
This is something I’m learning more and more. Heck, even reading today about Seth’s near-death experience hammered it home a little more. With all the talk of tithing lately, there’s something you can also give that’s more valuable than money: time. You’ll never get any time back. There are no time tax refunds, no time inheritances, no time lottery.
Now, I plan to have tonnes of playtime and downtime with the boy, but I hope he learns early that when you’re thankful for your time and you give it to God, that He’ll do amazing and unforeseen things with it.
That’s enough for now. I’d love to hear any parenting wisdom about passing on wisdom or any wisdom you hope to pass along when the time comes.
Walk down the street
And rock to the beat
With Lee on my legs
And Adidas on my feet
- Run D.M.C., “My Adidas”
If you look through my closet, you’ll find dark/drab shirts and jeans. My socks are either black or dark blue. There are mostly names like Gap and Old Navy.
My fashion sense falls somewhere between Clay Aiken and Forrest Gump. [-20 cool points]
Even the baby’s got me beat.
He has a variety of shirts, pants, onesies, overalls, and pajamas in vibrant colors like sky blue, orange, chartreuse, fire truck red, and yellow. No drab earth tones here. His socks are bright and have all kinds of fluff and frills on them.
Plus, he has cool themed outfits: sailor, fireman, baseball player. If I went to dinner as a fireman, the cops would be summoned.
And his brands are sweet: Gap, Carter’s (those are some sharp duds), and Winnie the Pooh. Any shirt with a huge-as-heck Tigger is stylish in my book.
But his time as a trendsetter will soon end. Almost all of his clothes came from family and friends and he’s outgrowing them. Once we have to pay to outfit the boy, he’ll sink to Daddy’s level. I wonder if Old Navy sells tiny dark blue polos by the dozen yet…
I love old school hip-hop.
It’s my brother’s fault. It was the mid-1980s and we were recent transplants from New England to rural central Florida. Maybe it was a backlash against the country culture or maybe it just really spoke to him, but he embraced Run D.M.C., Whodini, The Fat Boys, and many others who would have garnered a large police response if their tour came through town (which would NEVER happen anyway).
I got into it, too. I have fond memories of him blasting hip-hop while playing M.U.L.E. on his Atari 800XL. (Wikipedia will get some traffic from this post)
I write best when something can inspire me. It can be anything: a song, a picture, a Scripture verse. Well, I’ve been listening to a lot of old rap lately, so I figured, why not write about that?
We like recurring themes, so introducing our latest regular feature: Thumb Sucker MC! I know sucker MC is a dis, but I couldn’t resist how apt it became when you add the ‘thumb’.
I’ll take a verse from a favorite song and relate it to baby life. We’ll kick off with something familiar soon. Yeeeeahhh boyyy!
(photo by: Christopher Dick)
