The Playpen

As many might already be aware, I lost my job a few weeks ago. Even though I had a strong suspicion it was coming, it was a shock for the whole family, and things have been a little tense. Fortunately, friends and family have come out of the woodwork to help me out with some graphic design and consulting projects, and that fact should help to get us through the holidays until people begin hiring again. In addition, I have been helping out another friend of mine in a field most marketers don’t typically find themselves in, construction. Granted, most of my days are filled with a lot of waiting around, running errands, filling out pricing spreadsheets, shopping for materials and a lot of people yelling “Get away from there!” and “Don’t touch that!”, but the experience has, suprisingly, been fairly enjoyable. I have color on my normally pale face from time in the sun, and have noticed an incredible change in my body composition.

I felt a swell of pride as my wife ran her hands over my bulging, shaved pectorals the other day day and said “Build me something, baby.” Who knows? Maybe I’ll keep doing it.

Apart from that, the only noteworthy news is that we finally took my daughter to an appointment that we have been guiltily putting off for some time. Her four-year vaccinations. Having watched shots administered to our six-month-old son recently, I can say without a doubt that taking a four-year-old is a considerably different experience. They know. And they remember. They are little people who experience pain the same way we do and, as we dragged her into the doctor’s office, our hearts were aching. She was to get four shots. How in the world were we going to get through it? After the first, I suspected, there would be no way she would let them do it again, let alone another three times, and my mind was filled with visions of her tiny body strapped to an operating table bound in leather restraints, screaming madly.

But she amazed me. Not only did she not cry, but she watched; each and every one. She stared, unflinching, as the needle pricked her skin not once, not twice, but four times. After the third, she looked up at me, unblinking and stated “Daddy? I don’t think it’s that bad.” I couldn’t believe it. She was an absolute trooper, it almost frightened me. But I was prouder than could be and my wife’s eyes welled up with tears as we congratulated her and headed off to the market to buy candy canes and ice cream.

Seeing her get through that experience, possibly one of the most traumatic things a four-year-old can edure, without so much as a flinch got me thinking. My daughter is strong, stronger than I even knew myself. She must have gotten that from somewhere, right? I’m thinking her parents. She’s watching us, every day, and learning from how we handle tough situations. At that very moment I vowed not to undo what we had instilled in her. We’re not backing down in the face of adversity, we’re rising up. We will get through this, and we will pervail on the other end. I’m too proud of her to be scared.

-Matt

Now’s as good a time as any to pick up something for your kid for the holidays at our online baby boutique, RedSparks. Know what I’m sayin?

1. Can I let my dwarf hamster outside its cage like outside? | Hamster Blog Says:
   December 5th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

   [...] The Playpen » Blog Archive » State Of The Union [...]



2. Barbara Says:
   December 7th, 2009 at 7:05 pm

   Funny how our expectation for our children to respond as we would is so often dashed. Or rather, thank goodness.

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3. Barbara Says:
   December 7th, 2009 at 7:06 pm

   Funny how our expectation for our children to respond as we would is so often dashed. Or rather, thank goodness.
   Barbara´s last blog ..Joyful Expectation before Christmas

   [reply]