The tree

Putting up a Christmas tree at the beginning of the season is a rite of passage for families. It involves all kinds of excitement from hauling out the taped-up boxes full of tree and trimmings and fairy lights to scattering their contents evenly over the dining room floor.

With children, the process is infinitely more difficult and amusing. Especially if you’re just a spectator.
Watching my wife direct operation Christmas tree this evening with our boys was equal parts funny and heartwarming. The decorations seemed to produce an enzyme in the boys that blocked out the sound of their mother’s voice. As much as her intention was to create the perfect tree this year – their intention was to clump the silver balls into one small geographical area on the tree and then put the star on top (or at least as high as they could reach).
The simple truth is that boys and men alike think differently to women and the sooner mothers figure that out – the easier their lot in life will be.

Remember moms, if you’re going to involve your little guys in this process you have to think like a boy.
I think there was a meeting of minds on the project of sorts though where the boys seemed to do exactly as they pleased for about an hour and my wife edited their work in much the same way that one would edit their drawings – that is to say make sure that the stick figures all have arms and legs…and no boogers.

Next year the process could be simplified in three easy steps and the children would still take away from it exactly what they did this year. Step one, put up the tree without decorations. Step two, drape some lights on it and make the room dark. Step three, turn on the lights.

Tick. Tree trimming done.

The beginning

This blog is my story. You find yourself a few chapters into my story and you can decide your level of involvement from here on in. My story begins with my sons; the eldest aged four and the youngest aged two. They are, quite simply the centre of my universe. If you don’t have children you’re probably in one of two camps; You’re intrigued by the idea of children and possibly plan to have children of your own someday but at the same time you’re secretly telling yourself you won’t be as bothersome and fawning over your children as other parents are over theirs. Or perhaps you’re entirely put off by the idea of children. Either way, until you’re a parent you can’t actually know what it is to be a parent and perhaps then this blog will give you some insight into that.

If you’re already a parent, I’m sure some of these posts will resonate with you. From time to time you may have flickers of recognition in the antics my boys get up to and then your time spent here will have been worth the effort. In the end though, this is not for you, it’s for me.

Keep in mind that the truth of a story is in the memory of the author – not in the way it actually happened.