This semester is already a whirlwind! Having our son at home during the day and trying to prepare for my qualifying exams has been a mighty task indeed. Hopefully I will succeed at both of these tasks (something to be proven in the short term by passing marks from teachers and in the long term by the presense of a happy, healthy, well-adjusted adult in the future). I wish sometimes that I were able to put off the long term for the short term but I find myself unable to abandon our son while I read another book or article or play. In truth, I should be quite happy with the simplicity of these two goals. Read, Remember, and Raise (a child). Oftentimes, though, these are tasks which oppose one another.
Take, for instance, the ability our son has to sleep in the car. This is magical ability that I never had as a child (I was always envious of my brother who would simply sleep through long car trips with the family for vacation). Our son practically falls asleep the minute the car comes out of park and he may stay that way for a long time. Unfortunately for me (or, rather, my studies) he is down to one nap a day. My employment has necessitated a trip sometimes near the midday hours. This requires a car. This requirement puts our son to sleep, me to some brief work, and removes any hope of him slumbering for the rest of the day. I short: he wants to play with Daddy instead of have dreams of Daddy reading. (Right here, in fact, I just had to get him up and console him after dreaming of my reading for my exams: it’s scary stuff). He’s now happily in my lap holding a bright and colorful book ready to be read (I’m sure about 15 times in a row). Back to being a Dad!