Avoiding the inevitable

I'm supposed to be writing a story now about Keith Ballard as a potential candidate for TPS superintendent, but I'm having trouble getting motivated. I thought I'd warm up by sharing some stories from the Little Man.

Saturday morning I put Isaac in his swing while I got ready to go help my parents do some work, and I heard this crash. I ran in, and the mobile hanging above his swing had fallen onto the tray in front of him. The little stuffed bears that usually dangle from the mobile's arm were now covering his face. He had this really perplexed look on his face, like he was wondering what the hell had just happened. I fully expected him to start crying, not because he was hurt, but because the mobile's fall had startled him, but when I lifted it off of him, he just looked up at me, opened his mouth into the biggest, brightest smile and laughed. Precious.

My mom told me that, last week while she was making a cake, she gave Isaac a taste of Cool Whip. "It was non-dairy," she defended, "and I didn't give him much. I just put a little on my finger and put it in his mouth, and he LOVED it!" Then she told me dad had also given him a tiny piece of bread that week. What is this, some kind of game: "Experiment With Our Three-Month Old Grandson's Digestive System!"?? I wasn't terribly angry at them, but I did tell them I'd prefer it if they hold off on giving my son a bunch of manufactured sugar until he's at least a year or two old. I know it's hopeless, though. Even if I can get them to stop feeding him now, I'm sure that, when he does start eating regular foods (beyond the mushed-up fruits and veggies that'll be his diet for the first few months that he's able to eat solid), he'll basically eat all the junk he wants. I'll have to work even more hard to make sure he's eating the right foods at home because, once he gets to grandma and grandpa's, he'll have his choice of sweets and snacks.

Man.

But, what can you do? They babysit for free! And, besides this little premature experiment with solid foods, they've been incredibly supportive of all of my parenting choices. When I get frustrated because I have to defend myself against friends who have children and choose to raise them much differently than I do, they're always there with nothing but positive, encouraging words. They offer advice when I ask for it, but they don't try to insist that I do things the way they did. They trust that I only want what's best for Isaac and that I'll make the right decisions. I could never ask for a better support system than the one I have in them. I am truly, truly blessed.

I guess I'll let the Cool Whip slide.