Saturday, May 1, 2010

The dangerous world of the second child, and dinner by NASA

Lily is a relatively gentle child, and I know this because I saw some of the boys in parent's group.  She is also wholly fascinated with her brother, 'baby Nate'.  She hangs over him constantly, and it's actually really scary to watch..  A toddlers naivete combined with the crudeness of their motions seem pretty harsh around a gentle newborn.  As a parent you constantly think of worst case scenarios, and it makes you wonder how any child after the first makes it.

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We are going out to dinner tonight as a statement to the world, since this is the first day that all restaurants are smoke-free in the state of Michigan.   This is long overdue - both the law and us leaving the house for dinner.   We have picked up carry-out a few times since Nate arrived, but venturing out to dine has been a rare occurrence.

What was once a convenience has become a logistical nightmare requiring strategic foresight and a little luck.    It's a balance of sleep schedules, feedings, portable activities and finding a place that will keep a 2 year old's attention.  And, even the best laid plans of mom's and dad's can go awry.   A child-less dinner can be, at worst,  uneventful, but there really are no off limit outcomes when you bring along a 2 year old.

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