Hello Everyone!
So…….what are you up to? Anything big going on right now? I know I’ve been busy as usual. Sorry, it’s taken me a while to write, but what can I say? Keyboards are hard to reach when you’re one! And, my mommy and daddy won’t give me a cell phone until I’m at least 18 months, so there’s that :-/
I had a lot of great things happen in the past couple of months. A birthday party, holidays where I got dressed up in all kinds of fun clothes, so many things!! As long as you follow my mommy and daddy on Facebook you’ll see it all. If not, hit me up and I’ll get you connected!
I think what I want to share today is the knowledge I’ve gained about how to raise parents in the first year. It’s not easy, they’re pretty high maintenance. It took a lot of patience, but after all the hard work I think I’ve created some pretty happy adults. Just look at these faces!
Now raising parents can’t be done on just luck and baby smiles. It takes skill, planning and most of all, a lot of entertainment. So, from the home office in San Diego California, here are the Top 10 things to know when raising successful parents:
10. Make sure they never sleep: I have needs, and it’s my job to coach them on best practices for these needs. Sometimes this means being up at all hours of the night, but this is what it takes. Besides, they slept plenty before me. It gets tiring putting them to work though, so I’ll sleep a little for them.
9. Feed me Seymour: Now the first half of life is pretty boring when it comes to food. It took me at least 6 months to train them on how to feed me right. Patience, I know……. Once I mastered the art of showing them how to feed me, things have been much better. Plus it doesn’t hurt that my mommy is an amazing cook! One of the best parts of eating is teaching them how to clean me up. Note for all of you out there training your parents, don’t be subtle. Really get in there and give them a reason:
8. Potty Training is overrated: The art of the diaper is one of the most challenging to train parents on. One of the greatest tricks I learned early is control. Just when they would change me, I’d go again. Practice, practice, practice, that’s the only way to train parents on mastering this diaper changing skill. And, for the bonus round, go right in the middle of being changed. That will REALLY master their timing and accuracy 🙂
7. Use your words: This is a tough one because in the first year adults are impossible to understand! Baby language is so simple, but adults have this babbling, lengthy language that just doesn’t make any sense. It takes a lot of work to adapt to their language, but I’m getting there. In the meantime, I have to communicate my point to them. Between the smiles, goo-goos and ga-ga’s I found the best way to really get their attention. It’s an age-old trick that will get adults running every time. To set the scene, I was trying to tell my parents that the hat I was wearing did not match my outfit.
6. They need fresh air: As much as I’d love to binge-watch Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood all day, I guess adults need to get outside now and then. Now I don’t mind taking them outdoors, but WOW are they needy!! Disneyland, the Zoo, restaurants, they want to go all these elaborate places. I guess I can indulge, they’re being good adults and following my lead. Plus, selfishly, I’m going to get a little fun out of it too.
5. It’s OK to see other people: I love raising my parents, but my mental faculties need a break! I need to know that I can still be independent, do the things I want to do. The beauty of raising adults is they don’t need a babysitter, so I enjoy getting out. I love doing fun things like going for a train ride with my GiGi and Pop Pop:
I also enjoy just spending time and having a conversation. A great person to converse with is my Uncle Chuck. He has a lot of insight into today’s social and economic issues as well as a fundamental grasp on cultured sociological patterns. Said simply, he’s just fun to talk to!
4. Mark your territory: To train parents properly you have to make sure they understand who rules the house. I have found the most successful way to accomplish this is to make my presence known. One is to make sure I always take my toys out after they put them away. This teaches parents organizational skills, comes in very handy. The other is to make sure they understand cleanliness. I also make a game out of keeping the floor clean. I like to leave my food laying around and I’ll tell them “If there’s food on the floor, it’s time to clean more!”
3. Teach them to read: Education is important, and teaching them to read early will be so beneficial. Teaching parents to read is a lot of fun. Just make sure you’re choosing the correct literature. You have to remember their intelligence level and what they’ll be drawn to.
2. I make this look good: If you want your parents to dress their part, you have to be the example setter. Yes, diapers and jammies are all fine and good, but I need to be the role model and example setter here! I’m not going to raise slobs, not when I look this good 🙂
And, the #1 thing to know when raising successful parents……..
Love. Unconditional, total, absolute love: They are your responsibility. It is up to you to guide them into this world and show them the differences between right and wrong. You work really hard to raise them, and it’s always good to make sure they know just how much they are loved by you. Parents can turn out to be whoever they want, but at the end of the day, you can only hope they turn out to be ones that will always love you and the work you did to raise them. I think I’m doing OK with these two.
Well, my friends, another adventure comes to an end. There will be plenty more adventures to share in the future, but I think I’ll take some time to enjoy those before I’m back again. I’ll miss you all, and thank you all for being here. I’ll be back though, this is not goodbye. I may turn the blog back over to my daddy. He’s been very patient letting me tell you all about my first year, but I’m sure he has plenty of things to say as well. So, until next time, keep your binkies on a string, keep your diapers dry, and always eat your vegetables. Please stay safe and know that you are loved.
Thank you for being here <3