It Takes a Village

I must say that I am quite pleased with the village that surrounds my daughter. Thankfully, it's a collection of family members and people we have befriended over the years. I'm also thankful that these folks represent so many different constituencies and a broad spectrum of diversity. It is certainly not token representation either. Obviously, we value difference, and we want our daughter to as well. In addition, there is a wonderful support system in place full of friends and family. Whatever our daughter discovers about herself, she should have someone other than family to confide in.
It's interesting that despite this appreciation of difference, that I am thinking more and more about difference of opinion. Do we want our daughter to be exposed to someone who doesn't share some of our core values? Should we even have those people in our village? These are tough questions. At this point, I think it is most important for our "villagers" to have respect for all types of people. Tolerance is essential. One cannot use ignorance or privilege as a crutch or excuse for mean-spirited, thoughtless comments and actions. To be continued.

My Princess Diary

Here are some things that I have learned bother me as a father.

-Princess-I do not appreciate when someone calls my daughter, "Princess." I am not against my daughter having a princess phase. I certainly wouldn't push her away from something she likes at such a young age. However, I don't see enough examples of princesses that look like her. Let's move her away from the gender stereotypes and underlying message of entitlement. Please just call her by the name we painstakingly selected. 

-Clothes-Way too much pink out there for girls. Couldn't the design and the fact that it might be a dress be enough. My daughter happens to look quite nice in blue. I'm tired of stores telling me that she is better off in pink. Just to be clear, she does have pink apparel. However, I would appreciate some variety. Girls like superheroes and sports, too.

-I've had some people refer to me as Mr. Mom. I am not Mr. Mom. I am a father. I am a responsible parent. I am also quite capable as a dad, so you won't catch me making grilled cheese with an iron. 

My next entry: Hillary was right because it does take a village.

A New Adventure

It's been more than a year since I have written on my blog. For that, I apologize. My plan is to now write once a week, with a focus on being an active dad. You see, I am doing something very different for me. Very much away from my preferred comfort zone. Thanks to the support of my wife, I am planning to be home at least 3 days a week with our now 16-month old daughter. Honestly, I couldn't be happier knowing that I will play such a pivotal role in her ongoing development. It also allows my wife some level of comfort (there's that word again) knowing that one of us will be spending more time with the little one. She is at the point where she is truly developing her vocabulary and understanding of the world around her. I cannot wait to use NYC to the fullest, because I view it as one of the world's great classrooms. I am lucky to have friends who have been quite supportive of me during the decision making process. I am also excited to share aspects of my adventure with people through this blog. More to come.