I thought 2011 was a year of change. Boy, was I wrong! If I had turned the proverbial chapter in 2011, then I am starting a new book this year.
Within a one month period, I got a new house, a new neighborhood, a new diet, a new babysitting schedule, and a new car. One of those changes is enough to stress me out, but all of them happening at once is equivalent to a nervous breakdown. However, the best thing about extreme stress is the mental breakthroughs that emerge from it.
Each of the new things in my life gave me specific lesson, which will be covered over the next few entries.
I will start with the new house. It all started with my mom going away for a month. Without her presence, Sam began to show more of his individualism. It quickly dawned on me that he needed freedom, much more freedom than I ever had myself. As long as he was in his grandmother's apartment, there was no way to be totally free. He needed a house of his own where he could express himself without any restriction or guilt.
The search for this new freedom required me to step far outside my comfort zone. Everything that I knew about child raising had to be thrown out. Everything that I knew about raising a child from my parents no longer applicable to the current search. The lesson to be learned with the new house was that "there is no rule".
The traditional considerations that go into buying a house had no usefulness for me. I didn't care about school districts, shopping conveniences, distance from downtown, number of rooms, number of floors, proximity to family, resale value, etc. The only consideration was Sam...whether or not he would thrive in house.
In the end, by not having any rules or restrictions, I ended up with a perfect house, not only for Sam but also for me.
Within a one month period, I got a new house, a new neighborhood, a new diet, a new babysitting schedule, and a new car. One of those changes is enough to stress me out, but all of them happening at once is equivalent to a nervous breakdown. However, the best thing about extreme stress is the mental breakthroughs that emerge from it.
Each of the new things in my life gave me specific lesson, which will be covered over the next few entries.
I will start with the new house. It all started with my mom going away for a month. Without her presence, Sam began to show more of his individualism. It quickly dawned on me that he needed freedom, much more freedom than I ever had myself. As long as he was in his grandmother's apartment, there was no way to be totally free. He needed a house of his own where he could express himself without any restriction or guilt.
The search for this new freedom required me to step far outside my comfort zone. Everything that I knew about child raising had to be thrown out. Everything that I knew about raising a child from my parents no longer applicable to the current search. The lesson to be learned with the new house was that "there is no rule".
The traditional considerations that go into buying a house had no usefulness for me. I didn't care about school districts, shopping conveniences, distance from downtown, number of rooms, number of floors, proximity to family, resale value, etc. The only consideration was Sam...whether or not he would thrive in house.
In the end, by not having any rules or restrictions, I ended up with a perfect house, not only for Sam but also for me.
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