Watch your head

Recently Father Knows Best? has become quite popular. I’ve got 2 more questions in the que, and I will be getting to them soon. I know I’ve been doing a lot of these lately but I’ve been busy and my time constraints have made coming up with ideas for new posts more challenging AND I’ve been receiving more questions than usual. So hopefully you don’t mind as I indulge in these Q&A sessions.

Today’s question comes from David Vienna, the author of The Daddy Complex. I’m just going to get this out there right now. I have a blog crush on The Daddy Complex.

(Awkward silence….)

Okay, so here’s his question:

What is the biggest parenting mistake you’ve made so far?

Geez. Way to go for the jugular David. Why don’t you just say it? You think I’m a bad father. I just professed my love for your blog and now you are trying to make me look like a fool!

Ahem…sorry about that. My wife, my family, my friends, my co-workers, and…anyone who has met me, says I tend to get defensive about things.

Okay, my worst parenting mistake? I don’t think I have made any mistakes so far that are going to scar Chandler for life or have any longterm effects on him. But I do remember one particular moment that made me feel like a horrible horrible parent.

This was a few months ago. I was putting Chandler into his Johnny Jump Up. The harness was practically touching the ground, so as I put him in it, he was only a few inches off the ground. As I was struggling to get his legs into the leg holes Chandler decided to make a break for it. He suddenly lunged forward and leapt out of my arms head first to the floor. I was still partially holding him by the waist, but his head made solid contact with the hardwood floor and his neck bent a little from weight of his body following after.

I immediately pulled him back up to me and did everything in my power to soothe him. He was SCREAMING. It was one of the few times I had heard him cry out in actual pain, and certainly the most extreme instance. I usually don’t worry about much, and I hate to say things like this, but I’ll admit I was scared.

After about five minutes he calmed down and he showed no signs of permanent damage. But that image is still in my head.

You’d think I’d learn from this experience, and to some extent I probably have. But one of the “parenting techniques” I implement on a regular basis would be evidence to the contrary. It’s something that at first drove my wife crazy. Now she just kind of laughs it off as she shakes her head at me. But man, if I had a Mt. Dew for every time she shook her head at me I wouldn’t need to petition for a lifetime supply of the world’s tastiest drink. Did you sign the petition and mail in the letter yet? Go do that and I’ll wait to finish my story until you get back. CLICK HERE.

Okay, so what I was saying is I’m probably not as protective of my son’s head as I should be. For example, any time I’m carrying Chandler through a doorway, his head will come dangerously close to hitting the door frame. Sometimes it actually makes contact. Instead of correcting my path, or holding him in a different position so his head isn’t dangling out in the air, I simply say, “Watch your head.”

“Watch your head, Chandler.”

Those are words to live by. If you remember nothing else in life. Watch your head.

This drives my wife nuts. She usually responds by saying, “He can’t watch his head. You have to watch it for him!” I get distracted by this, turn around to ask my wife what she means, and in the meantime I bump his head on the doorframe.

So if I had to sum up what I think my biggest mistake as a parent has been so far, it would be my rather nonchalant approach to protecting my child’s noggin. Hey, maybe Mt. Dew can send me a Mt. Dew branded “Extreme Parenting” helmet for Chandler to wear.