changes

I thought a little more about yesterday’s whole calling attention to my kid’s crappy behavior thing and why it left me so pissed off. I’m sure this is pretty obvious but, hey, I’ve been writing every goddamned day for 26 days and obvious is fine with me at this point. Like all kids, Henry has his strengths and weaknesses. One of his strengths up until this point happens to be that he is eager to please, listens and responds well. In short, he’s a “well behaved” kid according to most social standards. As time goes by he is getting more demanding and intense, particularly when he doesn’t get something. This is all to be expected and I feel fine about dealing with him at home (without an audience) but I am still getting used to it in public. This includes in front of people like Jason’s parents. I have known all along that we are only partially (perhaps minimally, even) responsible for his good behavior. But, just like when someone tells you your kid is cute, or smart, or funny, it’s hard not to feel proud, and in doing so, assume some credit. So, I guess I have become pretty attached not only to the well behaved Henry, but to my identity as the parent of a well behaved child. The cliché about change being the only constant in parenting certainly applies and I guess I just need to suck it up and get used to some new interactions and a slightly altered identity.