Tommy is Four Today!

Four years ago today, my world shifted on its axis... and started spinning correctly for the first time in my life.

You complete me in a way I never dreamed possible son, I love you and wish you the happiest of days on your birthday.

Happy Birthday Kimosabe!

School Is In!!

This week marked a very important milestone for Tommy - he registered for school!

Tommy is a February birthday, and was not eligible for Junior Kindergarten this past September, so he will be going this upcoming fall. While it seems ridiculous to me that he will not be in a standard Kindergarten class until September 2016, I'm glad that he will soon be starting this next chapter of his life. Tommy is a learning sponge, and a social animal - the only thing that school will not offer Tommy, is much of a challenge. With so much to gain though, that will be an easy bump in the road.

His entrance into "the system" marks a very important time. In his first four years on this planet, his parents' sacrifices have been... many. Believing in the sanctity and importance of his early learning years, we took it upon ourselves to give more of our time than most parents choose, or can afford to do.

There is presumably a slightly unique mindset to a parent who does not experience the blessings of a child until after he is 40 years old. Is it a moderate amount of wisdom? A tangible sense of appreciation? A modicum of mild sensibility?

Whatever it is, I made the decision early on in parenthood that I was not going to miss any of the important early moments. I wasn't going to spend my life working more, so that I could provide for my son better. I felt the best thing that I had to "provide" or to offer, was me. And my time. And my love.

So while I could wax poetic all day long about all of the wonderful experiences and joy that it has brought me in the last four years, I will just say that it has been an incredibly thrilling, and fulfilling ride. Not a bed of roses by any means, the struggles have been many, and arduous. It's not a path that all can take; but, it's one that I am personally extremely thankful to have chosen for myself.

We have built an incredible bond - an amazing meld of guidance AND friendship. We have spent so much time with each other that we know the subtlest of nuances in each other. It helps Tommy every day. It helps me every moment of every day. It is a powerful parenting tool to know your child on an atomic level.

We share a love of learning. We share a love of gamesmanship. We share a love of silly-ness. We share a love of a lot of things, but most importantly of all, we share. A lot. I am so thankful every day not only of the love and joy that he brings me, but of the fact that I am constantly cognizant of it. I think it's part of a zen existence to enjoy where you are at all times. Tommy has taught me to do just that.

So it is with a very strange juxtaposition of excitement and disappointment that I turned over those registration papers this week. A beautiful beginning for Tommy, marks a very sad ending for his mom and dad. Tommy's everything. Gone will be the days of owning every moment of his time, and every drop of his energy. And his love.

But when the disappointment washed over me in a day or two, and the selfish pangs waned... I was left with an incredible feeling of fulfillment. Of making that "sacrifice". Of deciding to dedicate all of myself to him for as long as life would permit. Nobody can ever take away the incredible good that has been done. The incredible base and foundation that we have built, as a father and son.

My little man is ready to take on the world, with me at his side.

Job well done.

The Things They Say #45927

Any parent knows that the things that sometimes come out of their kid's mouths cannot be explained. Or understood. Or even rationalized or apologized for, in some instances. They are pure. They are raw. They are unfiltered. So nothing should ever come as a surprise when it comes out of their mouths and yet miraculously, it still happens on a regular basis.

Case in point, changing Tommy into PJs last night. There doesn't need to be any more context, because it won't make a hill of beans difference anyway...

Me: "Tommy, stop playing with your penis, I'm trying to put your pajamas on."

Tommy: "I can't." (Is this irony, foreshadowing or both?)

Me: "Trust me son, it will still be there later. Just let me put your PJs on please."

Tommy: "Ok. But Daddy... my penis is so big now. Last night when I was asleep... it got so pumped up and huge... It was like a rhino-ro-cerous."

*crickets*

I mean I had nothing. Well, untrue... I just didn't think, "Well then grab your horn and CHARGE son!" was appropriate.

I settled on a meek, "Nice. Well it will still be there later son."

I pulled his pants up. I left the room. And completely fell out laughing.

Tommy yelled to me, "Everything okay Daddy?"

"Everything is fine son," I yelled back.

Everything is fine.

Lil T's Current Top 10 Music List

I take my son's music education very seriously. He loves music, and seems to be legitimately moved by it. He sings, he rocks, he smashes instrumenmts - he even does "interpretive dance". He's quite a good dancer actually, much better than his daddy.

But I love music. Always have. I have a fairly expansive music collection, and it truly contains genres of every type. While it is natural for me to gravitate towards things that I like musically, I try to put a steady diet of different things at Tommy's fingerprints... or eardrums I guess.

I don't think Tommy is quite capable of comprehending a Top 10 list yet, so I can't ask him, but here is a list of what it SEEMS like his top 10 current favorites are. You may be surprised...

1. Hot Dog - Led Zeppelin



2. Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat - The Defranco Family



3. Drift Away - Dobie Gray



4. Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin



5. Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright III



6. Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence



7. Let it Go - Frozen Soundtrack



8. Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat



9. Stuck in the Middle - Stealers Wheel



10. Tonight You Belong To Me - Billy Rose  - but made infinitely famous recently by this awesome YT video of a dad and his 4y old little girl. Precious. Nice work fellow Thug Daddy.




So much music to put in front of him, so little time. Tommy is currently developing a penchant for 70s rock.

Shocking.

One thing that shines through regardless of the genre though, is happiness. Music makes Tommy happy. Daddy too.

After all, music feeds the soul.

Come... As You Are?

I took a picture of Tommy the other day and was immediately struck by two things: one, he looked pretty cool, and two, I could see a much older Tommy in the captured moment.

For some reason, I immediately thought of Kurt Cobain on the infamous Unplugged set... blonde hair strewn across his face, strumming his guitar like only a rock god can.

I suppose for many, the daydream would end there, but when you have been working with Photoshop for a decade and a half and are a self-expressed Ninja... you step into that abyss. Here's what I came up with...

Try as I might, I cannot see a 3-year old boy in this composite. All I see is Tommy Cobain... rock legend in the making.

Here's the original:

I think Tommy rocks that nice guy sweater harder than Kurt does, but I'm a tad biased.

What rock and roll legend would you turn your kid into, if you were a Photoshop ninja? We are limited only by our own imaginations...