Meet Someone New

I decided to take part in the Great Interview Experiment. It is my pleasure to introduce ChildsPlayX2. I really enjoyed reading his blog - it's very well written and very interesting. Since I feared that I could keep reading and reading to find more nuggets to ask about, I just needed to stop and ask a few and let it be.

Q:It's obvious you love your children and enjoy almost every moment with them. Do you enjoy other people's children just as much? Would you ever adopt a child?

A1) I have always loved being around children. My first "real" job was a sports coordinator for a large non-profit. I then became a camp and after-school coordinator and worked with kids all of the time. Now, I work for the YMCA and my job is to make sure the youth in our community have strong programs that develop character. I miss working directly with kids now, though. There's something about showing a child that you care - especially a child who needs a positive adult role model - that makes life worthwhile. As for adoption? My wife was adopted as a baby and we would definitely consider adoption if we decide that we could handle another child. Right now, two-year-old twins are quite enough, thank you!

Q: If you could, would you want to live in an 80's world? Or do you just enjoy the music from that time?

A2) I had more hair in the 80's. And that was the time when music was a daily companion in my life but I have no real yearning to return to the days of feathered hair and acid wash jeans. I recently started naming my blog posts from 80's lyrics because I wanted a bit of a challenge and I thought my regular readers would get a kick out of it. It also encourages comments - which I LOVE.

Q: Do you think you could ever actually win Fear Factor? Why/why not? Would you take your son on the new show coming up that's kind of like Fear Factor for dads and sons? [I personally love Fear Factor and wish they would bring it back.]

A3) The masculine side of me wants to scream, "HECK YEAH! I COULD SO WIN FEAR FACTOR!" But the part of me that is terrified of wiggly things crawling over my entire body and my inability to choke down anything that is still moving would certainly preclude me from winning Fear Factor. I would do really well on the agility stuff, however, so maybe I'd have a chance. As for taking my son on a Father/Son Fear Factor... I don't think so. I would want to enjoy bonding with my son and I don't think screaming like a little girl while cock roaches crawled all over me would imprint the right image of me for my son.

Q: What's your second biggest regret? (You listed in 100 things about you your biggest regret, and considering who I am, had to ask.)

A4) My second biggest regret? I'm really not sure. I guess there are a few things in my life I maybe would have done differently but I have grown so much as a person in the past 10 years that I strive to look at those experiences as learning tools that make me who I am today. We all need failure and obstacles in our lives to help us grow and to help us appreciate the wonders in our life. As Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Q: Have you ever wanted to earn your living as a writer?

A5) Many people who blog have aspirations of writing. When I started blogging it was mostly to see if I could stick with something like this for longer than a month or so. My cousin Mighty Girl (http://mightygirl.com) was enjoying her blogging experience so I thought I'd try it as well. Soon after, we got pregnant and the blog became a way for me to keep relatives and friends up to date on our life and how we were doing. I then realized that this blog could be a gift to my children as I want them to know as much as possible about their childhood and their father. After four years of doing this I now consider myself a writer. I love putting my thoughts on paper and, for the first time, I've actually thought of writing a book. One idea would be a rhyming children's book while another idea would somehow combine my love for managing and providing leadership for my staff and my love for parenting. We'll see how that turns out.

Q: Finally, you noted in your 100 things about you that your dad died when you were very young and that that was the greatest influence in your life. Can you expand on that?

A6) My father died when I was six. I never got to know him and it hurts me to this day. There's this little place deep in my chest that still aches when I think about what I missed. That experience has influenced me in countless ways. For instance, because I grew up with a single mother, I understand women better than I understand men. I don't have any strong impressions on what a man is supposed to be - which can be liberating and frustrating at different times. in the same vein, I have no blueprint on how to be a father - which frees me to set my own ideals and desires in motion without any outside influences. And finally, it has taught me to never take life for granted. A part of me is convinced that I won't live to see my children grow old and that is a driving force behind my passion for fatherhood. I don't ever want to cheat my children out of spending time with their father. I don't take my role for granted and I hope that my passion for life is passed down to them. I don't care what other people think of me. I really don't. The only thing that matters is that my children think highly of me. I'll happily dance down a busy street with a two-year-old holding each hand singing Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry (my daughter's favorite song) at the top of my lungs if it means my children will remember that moment for the rest of their lives. And even if they don't, I surely will.