Parenting

I'm a dad! Six days ago, my first child was born. She's healthy. Beautiful. Strong! And, I can't help but to think that she's going to ahead of the curve in terms of her milestones. Also, I have a wonderful wife with whom to raise her - I couldn't be happier.

I'm new to being a parent, obviously. But, over the pregnancy months, I was constantly asking myself what it means to be a parent. I know that parenting isn't easy. It's not now, even when she's so young. And, it won't be easy as she grows. We all can only hope it becomes 'easier'. But, as I thought about being a parent, I narrowed it down to this one little saying that I want to share:

"[Do whatever it takes to] provide that which they 'need'. And, [do your best to] guide them well in the ways of 'want'".

Now, some people will say, "what about values, morals, etc?". Well, I think that is all summed up in 'want'. Let me explain - as you've seen, my blog is called "...I do what I want." This is how I live my life. And, I have a whole explanation behind this, but that will come in a later post. Every parent should give a child what they essentially need; that just goes without saying. Or, at least it should. When it comes to 'want', if you guide your child properly, they will 'want' to get good grades. They will 'want' to be polite and use manners. Later in life, they will [hopefully] want to make good decisions. If it's your daughter, she will hopefully 'want' to date, and maybe eventually marry a nice guy...or girl, not some douche bag asshole. Basically, when it comes down to it, when a person has what they need, the rest is a matter of what they want. 

So, I'm going to do whatever it takes to give my child what she needs. And, along the way, I'm going to do my best to guide her to, basically, want to be a good, decent, contributing member of society. For now, this is the plan simplified. I guess I'll have to see how it turns out...