What Exactly Is A Stoodie Doo Anyway?

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So my son has reached an incredible stage of his young life where he’s begun to make up new words to share with his family and friends. His favorite of these is the word, person, phrase “Stoodie Doo” (he wasn’t sure of the spelling but there was definitely an ‘S’ in there).

It got me thinking about how great it would be if everyone, young and old, did this, when it occurred to me that we actually do it every day. I wondered if the person who first uttered the term “woot” ever stopped to think about how ridiculous it sounds? My guess is probably not, because if they had, they probably would have put that one back in the holster.

Anyway, back to my son. He started off by just saying Stoodie a few times for no good reason and my wife and I sort of looked at each with blank expressions. Now it has evolved into a part of his daily vocabulary and apparently as a part of ours after I caught myself using it in a sentence the other day while talking to a buddy of mine and had no good explanation for the meaning.

To help you picture it a bit better, it reminds me of the movie/TV show The Smurfs. Everything is Stoodie. Everyone is a Stoodie Do. Lunch is stoodie time. Mommy is a Stoodie Doo and so on. After the initial concern that something might be wrong with his speech had passed, we decided to celebrate his inner inventor by trying to incorporate the word into our daily conversation, a move that he finds quite amusing.

As far as I can tell, a Stoodie is either a hilarious cartoon monster, some type of meal, bath time, a pair of boots or the game Angry Birds. In any case, it is hilarious to him and that’s all that really matters. I’ve done my best to try to illustrate what I feel he is picturing when he calls me a Stoodie Doo.

I feel pretty bang on about this so I’ll show it to him and let you know what he thinks. Either way, it’s a great time to be a parent when your kids start to show independence, even if it’s in the form of made up creatures. At least I know his imagination is in full swing and that’s alright by me.

Do your kids have any made up words, expressions or special friends that they talk about all the time? Let me know in the comments section and don’t forget to sign up for the Canadian Dad Mailing List as we have some great giveaways coming up very soon.

Soccer Kid

A Father’s Insecurity: What If My Son Hates Sports?

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I’ve always been an athletic person. Even in my older, chubbier dad years, I still feel like I can hold my own on a sports field.

I got this from my Dad. In a bittersweet and cruel twist of fate, I lost my father on the same day my wife found out that we were pregnant with our first child. Regrettably, I never got the chance to sit down and talk dad stuff with him. I didn’t get to ask him questions about my youth, or his for that matter and that’s one of those things that you regret as a son and father.

From the young age of 6 and maybe sooner for all I can remember, my dad encouraged me to take part in sport and I gladly obliged. Really by the time I was a teenager, sports was all I knew and I loved the feeling of being able to excel in something that I knew made my dad proud. He didn’t force anything on me, I truly enjoyed the time it afforded us together.

He coached almost every team I ever played on and when we weren’t at the diamond or on the ice, he always made time to ask if there was anything I wanted to work on in my respective disciplines. He went as far as building a rink in our backyard every year and also making a huge net for me to take batting practice in the garage. We grew very close through sports and when I found out that I was going to become a father, I couldn’t help but hope for the same type of result with my son.

Flash Forward to today, my son is almost four years old and is more than ready to start carving his niche in the world. Obviously I would love for that to involve sports but I worry about the prospect of him not wanting anything to do with it. After all, sports is really all I knew growing up, so naturally I have a lot to offer as far as coaching and experience go.

I have also developed a love for music, but as a singer with no formal training and no instrumental skills, there’s really not much I can teach him other than a brief history of rock and roll and what I learned from the Foo Fighters documentary. So that brings us back to sports as my main source of expert knowledge to share with my son.

I’ve started trying to get him into sporty things. I tried to get him to watch hockey with me but without Lightning McQueen or Buzz Lightyear on either team, my efforts fell by the wayside. I still remember the first day he asked me if I wanted to go outside and play hockey, I beamed with joy and shot outside so fast that I forgot to bring him with me. The hockey game lasted 5 minutes before hide and seek became all the rage.

Now we’ve begun soccer lessons and I can’t tell if he enjoys it or not. I know he has fun at it but I wonder if it’s because of the sport aspect or because he has a couple buddies in the class. He’s starting to understand that when the ball or puck goes into the net, he’s done something worth celebrating and while I try to make a big deal out of his goals, I also don’t want to look like one of those crazy parents at a sporting event that makes their kid and themselves look ridiculous.

The point of this article is not to criticize my son on his ability or interest in sports, it’s to shed light on my insecurity that if he decides sports aren’t for him, what do I have to offer him as a father? It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot as a father who doesn’t want to fail his son.

In the end, no matter what he decides his path will be, I am going to be supportive (unless he chooses a life of crime I suppose). I also want to be able to help him grow into the kind of person my father has helped me to become, regardless of his life choices. And I guess I would just feel more confident if that life included something tangible I knew how to teach him, other than life necessities such as using the toilet and brushing his teeth, which my wife and dentist will attest to as being things I’m not even that good at, lol.

Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my inner workings with you. It feels good to put it all down in writing, even if no one reads it. I often wonder if Mom’s struggle with the same insecurities that us Dad’s do? They always seem to have such a level head about everything and look to have it all put together as natural parents. If I had to do half the work my wife does or that my mother did, I think my head would literally explode into tiny pieces.

If you have anything you want to say about this topic, please feel free to leave me a comment below. I check and respond to them all and love hearing from everyone.

Cheers!

Why I Just Slept On The Couch For The First Time In 13 Years

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My wife and I have been together for 13 wonderful years. We’ve certainly had our share of ups and downs in that time, but I’d say we’ve been pretty good at working things out. I’m not a person who can just take naps on a whim, so it’s never really occurred to me to lay down on a couch for a nap. I’ve also never gotten to the point of being so mad at my wife, that I would leave the room to go spend the night on the couch. I’m sure there have been times when she has wanted me on the couch but I am pretty good at talking my way out of trouble, even if just for a comfortable night’s sleep in my own bed.

All that has changed recently, since my children have decided that our bed is usually more comfortable than theirs. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and thoroughly enjoy spending time with them, it’s just that men have a special bond with their sleep time and when something comes between us and our sleep comfort level, adjustments need to be made. I can’t speak on behalf of women, it just seems like they have an easier time dealing with lack of sleep.

It all started a few nights ago when my son, Lucas, was dealing with a bit of a cough/fever. He’d been in to our room before but usually only showed up at around 4:30-5:00am, after we’d had a relatively good night’s sleep. This time, however, it was 1:00am and he didn’t look overly tired.

Have you ever been ready for bed, when all of a sudden, some infomercial or show about (bed) bugs comes on and you not only have trouble getting to sleep, but you also wake up every few minutes because you keep feeling something touching you? That’s what this experience was like for me. Every 30 seconds he was tossing, turning and mumbling, scratching up my back with his toes as he did the Homer Simpson 360 spin walk in the bed. Each time I thought it was over, the cycle started all over again, until he finally asked to go downstairs and watch TV….at 2:30 in the morning.

Looking back on the situation, I don’t know what part of my brain I was using when I decided that the best course of action here, would be for me to go sleep on the couch in the living room. I’m guessing it was my selfish side that decided to leave my wife in charge of the un-sleepy boy situation, while Daddy went down to get his much needed man rest. After all, it was a Saturday night and Daddies need all the energy they can get in order to give their undivided attention to the football game on Sunday (or in this case, the NHL All-Star Game), while Mommy takes care of the little ones.

In the end, I learned a couple lessons from this adventure.

First, most couches are uncomfortable by design and are not meant for sleeping on, mine is no exception. I took about an hour and a half to fall asleep and tossed and turned all night.

Second, sometimes kids just need to have their parents with them, whether they can sleep or not. They can’t always express the reasons why they don’t want to be in their own beds, so it’s best to just stick it out with them. I felt bad the next day about leaving him to toss and turn alone, he doesn’t remember but I still feel bad.

Third and most importantly, my wife has learned that it is, in fact, possible for me to sleep on the couch and has decided that it should be utilized more often…

Point, Mommy!

How JibJab Saved My Relationship With My Daughter/21 Comments/in , , /by

There are no books out there that can adequately prepare a father for the joys of having a daughter. And while they can be the beautiful princesses that you’ve always dreamed of; they also develop a nasty side early on, that can be tough to tame. In my eyes at least, I have been a loving father who enjoys spending as much time as possible with my kids. Being that my daughter is only 20 months old and the fact that my wife runs a day care out of our house, I haven’t had to do too many full days alone with my little bundle of joy.

That’s not to say I can’t handle it or even get nervous at the thought of it, but Julia has a classic case of “Mommy’s Girl” syndrome. It affects about 9 out of 10 girls and it can wreak havoc on a Dad’s psyche to know that she’d rather be able to see Mommy at all times; and that if she can’t see Mommy, she’s going to look for her feverishly. Inevitably, when she realizes Mommy is no longer there and looks at you as the only option left, the water works will begin.

We tried having Kristine sneak out of the house, while the kids are playing, like a ninja. We even tried the “hey, look over there” bit, while Mommy slides silently out the front door, but nothing worked. Until I found JibJab.com.

There we were at Christmas time and a relative of mine thoughfully included me on the email of his family’s hilarious Bobble Headed rendition of Jingle Bell Rock. It was funny enough that I thought I would make a video of my family so I could show the kids their dancing faces on the computer andpossibly give them a laugh. What followed was an unhealthy slew of daily requests to watch the JibJab video. It became the response to every question I had, “What do you want for dinner guys?”, “JibJab” my daughter would say as she pointed at the computer screen. “What movie do you guys want for movie night Luke?”, “I wanna watch JibJab daddy” he’d reply. I’d created JibJab monsters and by the end of the first week, I had created about 7 different videos, including one where we were all characters from Star Wars and Luke had hilariously chosen me to play the role of Princess Leia.

It was becoming like groundhog day around the house in that I knew every morning I woke up, the first step, before even getting milks ready, would be to load up the JibJab so the kids could stay occupied. It was getting to be too much, until the day Mommy had to go out for a bit and Julia was on the cusp of meltdown, when Daddy suggested “Want to watch a JibJab?”. Immediately the quivering lip paused as she stared at me, contemplating my request. After looking back at Mommy for a minute (I’m assuming the look was her way of asking Mommy’s permission to let her go without throwing a fit) she happily ran over to me and took up her place at the computer.

I had done it! I had conquered the Mommys and on month later, that little trick is still my way of getting my foot in the door with my daughter. It may not be perfect, but when faced with a sad baby girl, you do what you gotta do to survive!!!

As a special treat, here’s a copy of my daughter’s favorite JibJab video. It stars her Mommy, which I’m assuming is the trade off for letting Mommy go out alone and leaving her with crazy Daddy.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

 

 

 

Sick Little Monkey/7 Comments/in , , /by

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As many of you parents know, there isn’t a much more helpless feeling in the world than when you have a sick child. They are raised to believe that Mom and Dad can fix everything and I’ve even caught myself telling my son that exact line after he’s fallen down and cut himself. That’s why, when they get a cold, flu or other illness, they look to you, with their ever questioning eyes, wondering what magic spell you are going to cast to make it all better. The truth is, Mom and Dad can’t fix everything, but we sure as hell try our hardest.

That brings me to today, my self-designated, first night of blogging. Unfortunately, all I can think about is my poor daughter and how sick she is. With a fever breaking 104 at points throughout the day, she has been anything but herself. Fortunately for my ego, she is a Mommy’s girl, which means that my wife is taking most of the “fix me” stares. Unfortunately, this doesn’t do anything for my heart, which pains with every one of her pains.

My wife and I look at each other as we wrestle with the idea of visiting the children’s hospital or waiting to see our doctor in the morning. There’s no easy answer to that question. It’s most likely a cold or flu, which means a 6 hour wait at the children’s hospital will yield nothing more than a “lots of water and rest” response, along with disapproving looks from the nurses, as if we should have known better than to waste their time with this.

We settle on calling Tele-Health and asking their nurse a few questions. We’ve called a few times and while it seems like a nice service to have, it always returns the same results, “we recommend you see a doctor” and “we’re not allowed to recommend any medications”. Back to square one. In the end, she shows enough spunk to save us (and her) from the brutal wait times the hospitals here have to offer.

There was a positive side to the story though. My 3 year old son is not sick and is in desperate need of attention, with all the concern being showered on his little sister. That means an opportunity for a Father/Son day and I’m more than happy to oblige. We start with some groceries, a task he is always surprisingly excited about. It may have something to do with the bakery giving out cookies to the kids and even the little people shopping carts they provide now. As sad as it may sound, groceries are one of my favourite activities to do with the kids because they genuinely seem to enjoy it and they behave admirably while we are there (I direct you back to the part about free cookies). The other plus is that my wife appreciates me doing the groceries because it’s not one of her favourites, that equals Man Bucks…right? I’ll spend them the next time my buddies want me to watch UFC with them.

After we finish groceries, my boy and I take a trip to Walmart for some diapers, still a necessity with a 1 year old daughter at home. Funny, we used to tease a guy at work about diapers, before any of us had kids. His wife was pregnant and we would bug him about being ready for fatherhood and all the extra costs a baby brings. The one thing we’d always say is “Diapers are expensive man, are you sure you want to do this?” We were just kidding around with him, but the one thing we didn’t realize at the time, is exactly how expensive diapers really were. My son didn’t potty train until he was 3 and a half, so with my 20 month old daughter already potty training, you can imagine my excitement as I am already planning the number of things I will buy with that extra diaper money. We decided to celebrate this new found fortune a little early, with a trip to what my son refers to as “Old McDonald’s”. Yep, that’s right folk’s, I’ve seen the documentary ‘Supersize Me’ at least a dozen times and still have the nerve to take my kid there for a Happy Meal every now and then. It was Hot Wheels toy day too, which brings an extra large smile to my son’s face and in turn, an even bigger one to mine.

The best part of the day comes with a milestone as my son and I head over to our community’s Winter Family Fun Day. The trip starts with sadness at the thought of my wife and sick daughter stuck at home in bed, but quickly changes to elation as I take my son Ice skating for the very first time. I’m a big hockey fan, so it’s important to me that my kids get a chance to be into the same things I am. To my excitement, he loves it and we spend a good part of half an hour skating around the outdoor rink. I feel for my wife because I know she hates to miss milestone moments, but I’ve come to the realization that we can’t be there for all of them, so you may as well enjoy the ones you get to be a part of. They are truly miraculous to watch.

The end of the day brings more good news as my daughter’s fever is down and she is excited to play with us when we get home, as mommy gets dinner ready. It’s such a nice sight to have my baby girl back and we have a great time laughing and playing. She loves her brother so much, the way she looks at him and copies his every move, it gives you one of those pause moments where you realize how important these little creatures are in your life. Admittedly, I’m not a religious man, but I know what love is and there’s not enough words in the English language to describe the love I have for my family.

This is my first blog post, so it was difficult for me to come up with content that I felt would best reflect my thoughts and feelings on where I want this thing to go. I realized very quickly that I don’t need to say everything in one post because it’s a long life and I plan on posting a lot more over the coming months and years. If there’s one thing to take away from this, I guess it’s that, nobody’s perfect. We can’t always fix everything, sometimes we go to McDonald’s because it the easy thing to do, and love tends to rule all. I hope you enjoyed my first entry, there’s lots more to come from me so please stick around for the ride!