Before Finny was born, I dreamed of all the things I wanted to teach him. I would teach him to be kind and generous, to look out for the weak and unfortunate, to learn to laugh at himself, to have a strong faith, and to fight injustice. These, in my mind, are the characteristics of admirable men, heroes, and followers of God.
It wasn't until recently, when Finny learned to morph into a wet noodle every time I try to pick him up, that I began to re-think "fight injustice." Perhaps he and I need to break down exactly what qualifies as "injustice." Injustice is, for example, unfair school funding in the state of Ohio. It is not being placed in the exersaucer while Mommy takes a shower. Injustice may also be a little kid being bullied at the bus stop. It is not being pulled away from playing with dangerous lamp cords.
So, it has occurred to me that before I can teach him the things he needs to know to be a man, I first must teach him what he needs to know to foster a healthy Mommy/Baby relationship--obedience. It's good to see that he has a little fight in him, don't get me wrong; I realize it will come in handy some day when he needs to stick up for himself. But putting him in the pack and play so that I can pee does not qualify as abuse and so I'd appreciate it if he would stop throwing his head back as if he were resisting arrest every time I try to contain him.
I'm sure that Gandi and Thoreau would agree that in the case of Mommy v. Baby, Civil Obedience is the best approach.
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