Ahhh!

My daughter has just recently turned the big 0-2. The good news is that she ate the cake rather than mashing it into her hair and clothing. The not-so-good news is that my little baby is becoming a child and there's no stopping it.

In the beginning, my only real concern was keeping the child healthy with diet, exercise, hygiene and, you know, making sure she was hitting all those milestones. Now that she's verbally and cognitively capable of dealing with complex situations, I need to release the maternal floodgates of guidance! In Western culture, there are so many options in nearly every facet of life and it can really be confusing to someone who's just jumping in the game and I need to be there to make sure she's on the right path in life!

.... but there's a problem.

Religion, Society, Politics, Education and Media are all overwhelming and abstract concepts on which even I don't fully know where to stand. How do I provide my children with confident views of the world when I don't know what the heck I'm doing? Do I just fake it? Pick a way of life and bam, that's the way it is? Do I share my free-thinking, head-shaking, fist-pumping, "I don't know" mantra wailing, weeble-wobble mode of thought knowing that, like for me, it will create countless nights of why-wondering weakness and the loss of respect?

I mean, I'll have to agree that being an agnostic is like being an atheist without balls.

However, going through life with a neutered mind is a lot safer, and I'll have to say wiser, than bursting through it blindly with macho ego and stubborn habits. Be that as it may, I can't help but be reminded of Dylan Thomas's Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and feel that if my children will not go gentle into that good night, then perhaps they shouldn't go gentle through the day either! So, which would make life more exciting and enjoyable? Not knowing what the hell you're doing and perhaps never finding out what's right or knowing exactly what you're doing with the possibility of being completely wrong? Does it even matter? Obviously there are families who live a million different ways and experience much joy.

I would kind of like her to be a free-thinker like me, but the cynicism can be a little much sometimes. Perhaps what I will focus on with my children is compassion. They should really teach that in school, like Ellen said on her show. History, English, Math, Science, Compassion. That would be nice, wouldn't it? In the meantime, it will all be on me and the husband to show the kiddos what it's all about, or at least what we know about it. I want my kids to grow up and say that from their parents they learned compassion, peace, tolerance, joy, love and an appreciation for clubhouse sandwiches.

That doesn't sound too difficult! I can do it! Yeah! Er.. Hmm. It's going to take a lot of work. Baby steps. Pretty sure I can get the ball rolling with that appreciation for clubhouse sandwiches at any rate... and that will consequently make her joyous!

Hey, it's a start!