A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how my opinions on babies had undergone a kind of change. I had originally thought that babies were boring and that I had been looking forward to a child I could have more meaningful interaction with, and then how that opinion transformed to one in which I enjoyed and became fascinated with observing Jack in his baby stage and how he develops and changes and grows each day.
To add to that, I’ve found another interesting change in how I interact with Jack.
I seem to be compelled to hold him a lot.
I mean, sure, I hold him a lot anyway. I’m pretty much attached to him for a major portion of every weekday while Margaret is at work. But what’s odd and (somewhat) unexpected is that I insist on holding the boy even when Margaret is home and it’s rightly her turn. And on weekends especially. Sunday, at that pageant I wrote about yesterday, I kept trying to grab the kid.
Pure happy.
Today, Margaret asked me to watch the kid whilst he was on the changing table while she went to go grab clean clothes for him to wear. Not content with just watching and tickling him as he lay on the table, I snatched him up and walked around the house with him.
What up with that?
Also today, while Margaret picked up a couple of groceries, I kept the kid and carried him across the plaza to a diner to pick up a cheeseburger for his grandmother. Logically, Jack should have stuck around with his mother. They’d have a cart and all that. But no. I snatch the kid up and say, “Let me know when you’re done,” and take the boy to a diner and let him roll around on the counter (atop a blanket) while we await his grandmother’s food.
Am I being selfish?
Maybe it’s a phase?
Maybe it’s not?
Weird, though. Didn’t really see that coming. Sure, I love Jack to distaction, but compulsively taking possession is kind of new.
Of course, I’ve been under a decent amount of stress lately. Hustling for work, bills, existential threats from an insane president, that kind of thing. Gets to one after a while.
So maybe this is my new way of dealing with stress.
I can think of worse methods.
So… carry on, I suppose. I just need to remind myself not to be so greedy and make sure his mother gets her time, too.
Cheers!
–John
