resonant | December Daily: parenting (Reply)

kass asks: What do you enjoy most about parenting a kidlet of this age?

Oh, man, this age is the best. This age is ... when I think about it, it almost seems unethical. I have basically genetically engineered and hand-trained my own ideal roommate.

The parenting role starts out every-waking-hour-and-then-some at birth, and gradually, pretty steadily, shrinks. Getting accustomed to the shrinkage may be the challenge of parenthood -- remembering that six-year-olds don't need you to be responsible for most of their clothing choices and ten-year-olds don't need you to be responsible for their bladders and fourteen-year-olds don't need you to be responsible for their friendships.

By now, I don't really have to exercise my "authority." I have just enough superiority in life experience that I'm occasionally called upon to give advice, which is good for my ego, and just enough difference in personality type that I'm the Family List-Keeper, and that's about it.

(I didn't mind exercising authority when the kidlet was smaller and life required it, but it does take energy. It's very restful to be able to say, "Well, if you make that choice, what do you predict the consequences will be? OK, does that sound good to you? Cool, you've made a decision. Good talk.")

So the only thing I don't like about it is looking at the pileup of college mailings and knowing how soon it's going to end!

Go here to add your own question.

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mific: Do you enjoy Christmas more, or less, now the kidlet's older?
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armadillo1976: Dec 4. From the perspective of a parent of a big(ish) kid, what do you remember most/best from the time your kid was 1-2?
(Asking as a mom of a 1.5 year old, terrified that she is going to forget all the love and beauty and mess of these times...)
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grammarwoman: what's a go-to comfort meal for you?
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cesperanza: What three things do you find unexpectedly sexy?
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jesse_the_k: What's a garment that's well-loved by fandom, to the point of fanonization, that you really don't care for. Examples might be Fraser's hat; Ronon's gun; Sherlock's coat...
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monanotlisa: What's the hardest thing to write for you, and how do you get around it and yet write it?
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china_shop: Thoughts about writing original fic vs writing fanfic, whether it's different processes, different feelings (or the same process, and the same feelings), or whatever.
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julad: What was publishing Exog like for you? The good, the not so good, the unexpected.
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reginagiraffe: what was the best birthday present you ever got? (You can supply your own definition of "best".)
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james: Is there a tv show or movie that you would pay a billion dollars to get either a re-working of an episode or a sequel to? (It might not cost that much. Millions.) Because sometimes fanfic isn't enough, you just need to see it on-screen.
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mific: If you had to give up one of your 5 senses (you know, to save Atlantis or Benton Fraser's life, or suchlike), which would it be and why?
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james: Which (if any) Harry Potter book is the best totally on its own, with no meta or context or fanfic to bolster it up?
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james: Who is the most obscure composer, band, or individual musician that you adore?
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zulu: best vacation/break you ever had?
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kass: What do you enjoy most about parenting a kidlet of this age?
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kass: what fannish character is bringing you the most joy right now?
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muccamukk: Moments in canon that still emotionally resonate with you, many years later.
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