Parenting: You win some you lose some.

This was a post I started writing 6 months ago and never finished but figured I might as well post it anyway. Enjoy.
-Craig

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This morning was tough. I mean really tough. When I woke Sierra up, all she wanted was her Mom. The scene played out like this: me trying to dress a 3 year old while she SCREAMED and cried for "Mammmmmmaaaa!!", tears flowing down her face, boogers streaming from her nose into her mouth, hair matted against her cheeks, going boneless, underwear half on and me with my head buried in my hands trying to breathe deep yoga breaths and compose myself enough to figure out how to get this child dressed without screaming and crying as well. We eventually both calmed down and got the job done but only after some snuggles, rocking and "shhh shhh shhh-ing". The rest of the morning went a lot smoother and happier. She helped me peanut butter her mini-bagel, we sang songs, we learned the letter V and we got out the door only 30 minutes late.

Moments like this can feel defeating. The 'terrible threes' are hard and theres no way around it. But there are also the wins, the moments where you are so full of happiness and love you just want to squeeze your kid forever and can't whipe the big shit eating grin off of your face.

11 fun things to do in Boston with kids!

1. The Boston Children's Museum & The Science Museum - The Boston's Children Museum is WELL worth the money ($14). Tons of awesome exhibits, activities and hand-on stuff to keep children of all ages entertained. We've been many times as there's always something new to do and see. THD Tip: If you're on a tight budget go on a Friday from 5PM to close and it's only $1 to get in!

The Museum of Science is in Cambridge and is $22 for adults and $19 for kids so again on the pricey side but you get a lot of bang for your buck. Tons of exhibits, a lightning show, some animals and overall it's just an awesome way to spend an afternoon. Check out their site for more details on whats included. THD Tip: Walking distance to the Cambridgeside Galleria so when you tire of learning about science you can go shopping up the road.

2. First Friday's - Every First Friday of the month all most of the galleries have new show openings. My favorite spot is: 450 Harrison Ave in the South End. It's an outdoor plaza with 10+ really great small art galleries and a huge building with 3 floors of artist studios who also open their doors to visitors on FF's. My little one has loved it since she could walk and it's free and awesome! THD Tip: There are basically no kid-friendly restaurants in this area so bring your own food and have a picnic or eat before you head over.

3. The Boston Common - The Common is a huge park in the heart of the city and is home to lots of open space, a playground, a large fountain, frog pond and the swan boats. Added historical bonus: The Boston Common is the oldest park in the country and there used to be public hangings! Yay! THD Tip: When you're at the Common be sure to hop next door and check out the Public Garden for some flower sniffing and photo ops. Here is a nice album of photos to give you a clearer idea.

4. The Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park - Walking distance from Faneuil Hall and Haymarket, the CC Park is home to a big park for running around, a great playground with a huge sandbox, a fountain for splashing around in and a merry-go-round. Great way to kill a couple of hours on the cheap! It's also right on the water so you get some nice views and a breeze. THD Tip: If you get hungry you are steps away from Boston's famous North End full of delicious italian food. If you are vegan skip the North End and hit Faneuil Hall for some on-the-cheap and half way decent sushi.

5. Full Moon Restaurant - Full Moon a kid-friendly restaurant in Cambridge where 1/3 of the restaurant is a play room with a train table, kitchen, tons of dolls, trucks and other toys. You can see your child from your table and they are encouraged to play while waiting for food, after eating, etc so parents relax, eat their meal and have a drink! The food is pretty great, it's not too expensive and its the only place like this in Boston (I know Cambridge isn't technically Boston but it's on the red line so sue me). THD Tip: Drink while your kids play. Did I mention this already? 

6. The New England Aquarium - A little on the pricier side ($22 adults / $16 kids) but like the BCM & MOS, it's so worth it. They have seals, rays, octopus, penguins, sea turtles, sharks, jelly fish and tons more. They have touching tanks, shows and exhibits that you can make an entire day out of. It's right on the waterfront too so you can go for a nice walk before or after. THD Tip: If the aquarium is out of your price range you can watch the seals for free right outside as part of this outdoor tank they have.

7. Ride the T - For you out of towers the "T" is Boston's public transportation system made up of subway trains, busses and commuter trains. To someone who uses this regularly (aka me aka every single day) the concept of riding it for fun seems asinine but to a child it's basically a big (smelly) amusement park. I brought Sierra on a "Lets ride the T" excursion a few months ago and she had a ball. It's $2.50 a ride so this adventure is in everyone's budget. THD Tip: I suggest riding the red line because the view between Kendall and Charles is amazing. Oh and bring hand sanitizer.

8. George's Island - If you have a few hours to kill George's Island is really fun. You ride a ferry from the Long-Wharf in downtown over to a small Island nestled inside Boston harbor. You get some amazing views of the city on the way over and once you're on the island there is plenty to do. The island is home to Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort known for its granite archways and reputed ghost, the Lady in Black. In addition to the historic significance of the island there is tons of green space for the kids to run around and play. THD Tip: There are some free grills to cook up some lunch but its BYOB&C (bring your own burgers & charcoal).

9. The Skywalk Observatory - The Skywalk is sort of a tourist trap but the views are unparalleled so it's worth it even as someone who lives here. You pay $15/adults or $12/kids 10 and under to go up to the 50th floor of one of Boston's tallest buildings. There are windows on all four sides so you can see the city and surrounding suburbs in all directions and the views are truly breathtaking. THD Tip: Go right around sunset because you'll get to see the city during the day and night for the price of one trip and sunsets are badass. Plus the Skywalk is in the same building as the Prudential Mall so you can head downstairs for some shopping and dinner afterwards.

10. Castle Island - This is an awesome day trip. This 22-acre urban park is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicular causeways. Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three mile segment of parkland and beach along the South Boston shoreline of Dorchester Bay and is home to Fort Independence, greenspace to run around, some playgrounds, a rad bike path and of course every Bostonian's favorite ice cream / burger & fries joint: Sullivan's. THD Tip: They have free parking so if you're driving and don't want to deal with meters, overpriced lots and most likely a parking ticket this is a good spot.

11. Franklin Park Zoo - This place is awesome. They have lions, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, hippos, and tons of other animals. It's $17 for adults and $11 for kids. In addition to the animals there are a bunch of places to eat, a carousel, train rides and a playground. They also have rotating exhibits as well (last time we went they had a dinosaur exhibit that scared the bejeezus out of Sierra). THD Tip: On Saturdays from 10AM til Noon it's "Kids Price Saturdays" where everyone gets in for the $11 kids rate.

In Response to: We Need to Quit Telling Lies on Facebook

Have you guys read "We Need to Quit Telling Lies on Facebook" on Raising Kvell yet? If you haven't, get on that right now. It's a 10 minute and read well worth it. The writer, Sarah Emily Tuttle-Singer,  raises some very interesting points and IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME SOMEONE SAID IT! I've considered writing a similar post about 500 times but figured I'd be chastised by the blogosphere so I'm glad someone finally had the gall to do it.

I could not agree with her more. I instagram, Facebook and blog-post about my kid on the regular and every photo is this adorable, angelic, whimsical moment eating breakfast at the coffee shop, building a foam-block tower or making a painting together. I never write about chasing her around the coffee shop saying "Stop! No! Don't do that!!" and feeling embarrassed in front of everyone or the times she asks me to play with blocks or paint and I say "Not right now" or "I'm busy working". Like Tuttle-Singer said "Let’s be real: Parenting is ridiculously hard." and by pretending it's this always-amazing perfect thing we're blatantly lying to everyone. I'm not saying we need to post photos of tantruming children on  instagram or say "My kid is a brat" on twitter because jesus who wants to see that but a little brutal honesty wouldn't hurt sometimes. Infact it would do a world of good to other parents reading it knowing they aren't alone in the struggle and difficulties of parenting.

Sometimes when I post a photo of Sierra on Facebook I get a comment along the lines of "WOW! You make me not afraid to have kids!". And to those commenters I say: Be afraid! Be very afraid! Don't get me wrong, having a kid is the best and I truly mean that. It's a special kind of unconditional love but it's also really difficult and trying. Sometimes you lose your temper, sometimes you don't want to play, sometimes you don't want to wake up at 6AM and dress an angry jelly boned tiny human. So don't be fooled by mommy/daddy bloggers' instagram feeds, including mine, it's not all rainbows and unicorns - it's really hard but it's also really rewarding. I wouldn't change my life for the world and I feel lucky every single day but I agree "We Need to Quit Telling Lies on Facebook".

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And with that I feel Inspired by Sarah Emily Tuttle-Singer to give you my "IRL Morning" with Sierra from this morning:

My alarm went off at 6:30 AM and I realized I had Sierra's fist in my face. She has her own room and her own bed but at some point during the night she decided to wake up and come into our room like she does almost every night. I'm all for co-sleeping but sometimes when your child is lying "H is for Hell" style its not so great.

I decided I cared more about sleeping than starting our daily routine on time so we ignored that 6:30 alarm… and the 7:10 one… and finally got up for the 7:30 one. Soon after I woke up I posted these pictures:

Cute right? A sleepy little baby and a cute outfit. This actually happened, my kid is super cute and so are her outfits but what i didn't mention on my Instagram caption was that 2 minutes after this photo was taken I had to try and dress a half asleep 3 year old who was telling me "No!" and going all "no-bones" while trying to swat me away like an annoying fly. She was angry I woke her up and I was annoyed because we were running late and I didn't have time to fight her into a pair of jeans. It wasn't fun or cute but we made it through. I won't bore you with the rest of the morning but you get the point. 

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When discussing the original Kvell blog post with Lauren she said:

 "It's good. However, I'd hate for Sierra to grow up and find posts upon posts about how difficult she was. I'd like to preserve the smiling moments, keep it real that it's tough, but I don't need pictures of her tantruming to remind me." One of the mommy bloggers said the other day "we choose our focus" and I liked that."

And I like that too. So I leave you with this photo & quote from one of my fav parenting bloggers Kelle Hampton:

(Photo / Quote by Kelle Hampton I'm just borrowing / sharing: Follow her here: http://instagram.com/etst)

-Craig

Q & A: Fill in the Blanks Blogger Tag Game

1. We started my blog because... 

The concept for the blog started sort of as a joke in a conversation Michael and I were having once but after the conversation was over we decided why the hell not? Figured we could try to show Dad's in a positive light and show people that some Dads actually are really hands-on, involved and just as into parenting as the mama's out there.

2. One thing I love seeing on other blogs are... 

I really dig when people blog about other stuff than just their children. Don't get me wrong I love posts about kids, parenting etc (I mean it's a Dad blog) but It's cool to get a glimpse at other parts of people's lives whether it's what they do for work, a date night they had with friends, etc.

3. Something I love about blogging... 

My favorite part about blogging is that one day I'll be able to share this with my daughter. She can see photos of things we did and my struggles / thoughts on parenting as a new / young Dad.

4. A favorite blog post of mine is...

• Raising Your Kid as an Artist
• Family Comes First A.K.A. The Challenges of Being a Working Dad
• Soccer & Family
• Happy Birthday: A Letter to my Daughter

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog... 

Hmm thats a tough one. I don't think I've ever written about how badly I want to move. I love Boston but I don't want this to be the only thing I've ever / will ever know. Vacationing is great but I truly want to experience what it's like to live somewhere else even if it is only for 1 year. This needs to happen!

6. My new favorite blogs to read are...

I don't really ready any "new blogs" I guess? But my favorite parenting blogs to read are: Before I Was A Mom, Just By Living, Adeline's Daddy, DadAnd, Smonk You & How To Be A Dad.

7. Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are...

Posting "photo dumps" too often. AKA those posts where it's just 40 photos that people most likely don't care about.

We tag Don Naylor.