On High Blood Pressure...
I like weeks that start out with a holiday. Especially when I didn’t realize there was a holiday almost until it actually occurred. That’s like waking up thinking it’s Monday when it’s actually Saturday. I’m not Buddhist, but I think that is pretty much Nirvana. This Monday we went apple picking. I’d never been apple picking. Frankly, I thought they just picked themselves and showed up at the grocery store. I’m not really an apple guy. Since I got older (and fatter) and acid reflux decided to be my personal nemesis, the acid in apples just does not do this body good. Still, it was a chance for K-Mad to experience the great outdoors near the Shenandoah Valley. She needs to get acquainted. Her middle name is Madison for crying out loud…you know, after her parents alma mater in said valley. She seemed to enjoy it. I picked apples with her in the “snuggly”, and she picked leaves.
Tuesday my wife had an early doctors appointment, so I got to hang with K-Mad while taking the morning off. My wife has developed high-blood pressure since she gave birth after years of having perfect blood pressure. The doctors wanted to rule out the possibility that something had happened to the artery that goes to her kidneys, so they ordered a sonogram (or ultrasound…I get them confused). She came out clean, which in essence just means that she has high blood pressure for some unknown reason. Imagine her relief…
I have a theory though. I think that it has to do with her being at home. I believe, through careful and reasoned analysis (it is, afterall, what I do), that this woman thrives in the stress of middle school education. It’s like her happy place or something. At the very least, I think she would tell you it is the place that she feels like she knows what she is doing, and that is reassurance that few of us have. I certainly don’t.
On the other hand, staying home with one child that you are truly responsible for is new territory. Not only has she given up doing what she knows how to do through schooling and other training. Now, she is taking care of a child that shares her DNA for the first time ever. It’s not like they teach this stuff in school. I take that back. In my high school there was always a week or two during the year where the student body somehow procreated 5 pound bags of sugar. Seriously…the girls taking home economics would “learn” what it was like to have a baby by caring for a bag of sugar for a week. A bag of sugar. That’s not a child, that’s my idea of lunch.
As my wife and I struggled with the decision of what she should do once K-Mad came, I started to be a little more sensitive to the arguments, struggles and cultural debates that women participate in about child rearing. I’ve already blogged about some of that. I found a pretty nice blog about the working women’s perspective on things motherhood at washingtonpost.com. I found it when I saw one of the headlines from a male guest writer that was talking about fatherhood. That’s a subject for another day though. The blog is called On Balance. One of the entries stuck out to me the other day. Here it is linked. Not sure if you have to sign into the website or not….
I found this entry not only interesting but true as well. I can’t say this is what my wife is thinking, but I find the concept of being 100% sure that you made the right decision, but still not feeling great about what yourself to be interesting. I can tell that my wife loves being home with K-Mad, but really misses the opportunities and camaraderie she had at work. I don’t envy being put in that position one bit. Actually, that's not true. I'd love to be put in the position because I know my opinions about work life are way different. But still, I wonder if that has to do with her high blood pressure. I know she is constantly worried about how she is raising K-Mad while being home. I hope she sees what I see on a daily basis. She is an awesome mom, and K-Mad just adores her. Seriously, adores her too much if you ask me.
It’s actually a bit ridiculous… Hello, Daddy is pretty cool too ya know!
Tuesday my wife had an early doctors appointment, so I got to hang with K-Mad while taking the morning off. My wife has developed high-blood pressure since she gave birth after years of having perfect blood pressure. The doctors wanted to rule out the possibility that something had happened to the artery that goes to her kidneys, so they ordered a sonogram (or ultrasound…I get them confused). She came out clean, which in essence just means that she has high blood pressure for some unknown reason. Imagine her relief…
I have a theory though. I think that it has to do with her being at home. I believe, through careful and reasoned analysis (it is, afterall, what I do), that this woman thrives in the stress of middle school education. It’s like her happy place or something. At the very least, I think she would tell you it is the place that she feels like she knows what she is doing, and that is reassurance that few of us have. I certainly don’t.
On the other hand, staying home with one child that you are truly responsible for is new territory. Not only has she given up doing what she knows how to do through schooling and other training. Now, she is taking care of a child that shares her DNA for the first time ever. It’s not like they teach this stuff in school. I take that back. In my high school there was always a week or two during the year where the student body somehow procreated 5 pound bags of sugar. Seriously…the girls taking home economics would “learn” what it was like to have a baby by caring for a bag of sugar for a week. A bag of sugar. That’s not a child, that’s my idea of lunch.
As my wife and I struggled with the decision of what she should do once K-Mad came, I started to be a little more sensitive to the arguments, struggles and cultural debates that women participate in about child rearing. I’ve already blogged about some of that. I found a pretty nice blog about the working women’s perspective on things motherhood at washingtonpost.com. I found it when I saw one of the headlines from a male guest writer that was talking about fatherhood. That’s a subject for another day though. The blog is called On Balance. One of the entries stuck out to me the other day. Here it is linked. Not sure if you have to sign into the website or not….
I found this entry not only interesting but true as well. I can’t say this is what my wife is thinking, but I find the concept of being 100% sure that you made the right decision, but still not feeling great about what yourself to be interesting. I can tell that my wife loves being home with K-Mad, but really misses the opportunities and camaraderie she had at work. I don’t envy being put in that position one bit. Actually, that's not true. I'd love to be put in the position because I know my opinions about work life are way different. But still, I wonder if that has to do with her high blood pressure. I know she is constantly worried about how she is raising K-Mad while being home. I hope she sees what I see on a daily basis. She is an awesome mom, and K-Mad just adores her. Seriously, adores her too much if you ask me.
It’s actually a bit ridiculous… Hello, Daddy is pretty cool too ya know!
posted by Beeley at 11:47 AM
3 Comments:
I have a theory, too. Look at the "Foot in Mouth" blog, doofus.
You make this waaaaay too easy, my dear cousin.
Yes, among the cousins I'm the doofus. But I only learn from the best examples of my elder cousin. I refer you to my On Changes post where it is a "good deal" that you get to go to work, eat long lunches and interact with adults while the wife stays home with two very little kids.
...er, make that the "On Growth" post.
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