Article Contributed on: 3/22/2007 12:26:02 AM
You already know my parenting philosophy. To tell you again would be overkill in the extreme. So the next two paragraphs are provided only for the benefit of those new to this blog:
I have a 5-year old daughter and sons 2 and 1, (the boys celebrate birthdays on consecutive days in December, but are never the same age; you'll figure it out). My approach to "learnin' these kids up" is that I'm not RAISING a 5 -year-old girl and 2 and 1 year old boys. Because if that were the case, I could quit now. They're already at those points.
Instead, I believe that I am in the business of raising children aged 15, 25, 29, 40 and 50 - but just aren't there yet. This philosophy and my approach to it sometimes sets me at odds with certain people (i.e. females), in my life, but I know it's what's best for the children.
So now we find ourselves in the hunt for a house. Not just any house, mind you, but one that suits our needs almost perfectly. We're just in a position now where we can afford to wait for both our full price and for the perfect house, without having to settle.
But what does the "perfect house" look like? Well, being a father I have to admit to holding firm to certain biases. Namely that I'm looking for a home that will have room to store go-karts, ATVs, snowmobiles and mountain bikes, while having land enough to use them when appropriate. I know the boys will really enjoy that.
As for my daughter, I'm looking for a room with plenty of light to read by but without a single door or window through which she might escape without notice. Worst case, I can weld or nail shut a window here or there to make it happen, but I don't want to rely too heavily on my skills with molten metal.
Oh, relax. We'll let her out when she's 35...
Chris Stone is a slightly different - hopefully better - Father and man than he was yesterday...