1m2aSandbox

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My girlfriend Abby is often fond of saying, “Every decision you make as a parent comes down to this:  Do I want to pay now, or pay later?  Do I enforce a rule now, or do I let it slide and deal with it when it’s a bigger mess later?  Do I lose sleep tonight when I sleep-train my baby, or do I lose sleep for the next three years as I get up to soothe him back to sleep every night?”

I’m starting to really understand what she means.

When I was a ballet dancer, I had the biggest dance bag in the company.  A very large weekend tote bag, my dance bag was stuffed with – aside from the basics like pointe shoes and warmers - everything from a big roll of duct tape to a full-sized hammer.  Everyone teased me, but they all came to me to borrow band-aids or sew on ribbons or – yes – hammer something.

We’ve done it – we’ve successfully navigated our first Holiday Travel Day.  I’m having to start mentally gearing up for the return trip already.

Our living room looks as if a Target exploded.

And on the dining room table (seats eight,) baby gear.

There’s a topic I’ve been avoiding in these postings because I know it’s controversial.  But I know that every parent struggles with this issue and because I’m trying to be open and honest about where I am in this parenting thing, I need to bring it up here and be ready for the email onslaught.