Saturday, February 24, 2007

The Paper Trail

They say the early bird catches the worm, right? Well, Dads-to-be, I say this. Start early. Start everything early: saving for the child's college fund (529's and college savings to be discussed at another point in time), hammering out the nursery, setting up the baby carriage, crib, or swing, or finding that perfect first present. What ever it is, I suggest starting the moment you find out that you are expecting. I didn't realize with my first child, that I didn't have to wait until he was born to start a 529 college savings fund for him.

What I started early was a journal. I wanted us to be able to look back and see what was going on while my son was still gestating in my wife's belly. I have kept a few journals over my lifetime to mark the passage of meaningful points in my life. And I mean a few. Not insane amount in the hundreds like Kevin Spacey's character in Seven. Every page and line do not repeat "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Heeeeeeeerrrrreeee's Chinny!

I kept one journal for each child. You don't have to write essays, prose or poetry. A quick thought will do. What I tried to keep track of most were current events. Write down the price of gas with a date. Gas was $1.06 per gallon when my first son was born and $1.46 per gallon 22 months later when my second son was born. It was $0.88 per gallon when I first got my license. Go head and do the math.

Reading the old entries now, I have captured some significant historical events: McGwire and Sosa's HR battle to overtake Maris (and well before the baseball steroid scandals started to surface), the Patriots 3 Super Bowls, the 2004 Red Sox World Series, the 2000 Presidential election, 9/11/01.......I still remember coming home on 9/11, grabbing my newborn son and holding him for hours.

Personally, I try to impart a little wisdom on to my sons. I kept a journal for each of them that lasted from the time I found out that Demi was pregnant through their second birthday or so. You never want your kids to make the same mistakes that you have and hope they learn from you. I thought that by writing it all down, the journals might help with that process. I wrote about what it takes to be a good friend, what they should look for in choosing new friends, striving to become a better person, and shared my past experiences. I hope that when they sit down and read these, they understand who there Dad is, how I became who I am, and maybe learn a few things about themselves.

Paper seems to be going the way of the dodo bird. But I am an old fashioned kind of guy. I like paper. I like reading the newspaper with a fold, rather than on-line. I like reading actualy bound books, rather than eBooks. And I like to write lists, journals, and notes on paper. I am sure that seems like a stone tablet and chisel to the technological generation or blackberries, cell phones, and Ipods. If that is your medium, then great. Just write it down. Leave that history to be passed on to your prodigy.

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