The Good Life – November-December 2018
Featuring Sheriff Paul Laney. Local Hero - CHARISM, Having a Beer with Joel Heitkamp, Mr. Full-Time Dad and more in Fargo Moorhead's only men's magazine.
Featuring Sheriff Paul Laney. Local Hero - CHARISM, Having a Beer with Joel Heitkamp, Mr. Full-Time Dad and more in Fargo Moorhead's only men's magazine.
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FATHERS | MR. FULL-TIME DAD<br />
WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON<br />
N<br />
obody told me parenthood is a path toward<br />
enlightenment. <strong>The</strong>y told me it’s expensive,<br />
tiring and thankless. <strong>The</strong>re’s a bit of truth to<br />
both takes, but lately I’ve found myself inordinately<br />
delighted by the unpredictable antics of my three-yearold<br />
son, Macklin. Tomfoolery that would otherwise<br />
inspire madness has become the highlight of my days.<br />
I’m completely content with evenings spent lying<br />
facedown on a living room floor that hasn’t seen a<br />
vacuum in weeks, getting jumped on by a 40-pound<br />
toddler. It may not be your definition of enlightenment,<br />
but it’s as close as I’ve so far come to my own.<br />
As we approach the holiday season, starting with<br />
Thanksgiving, I can’t help but reflect on ‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong><br />
<strong>Life</strong>’ I’m living. Each day of parenthood brings new<br />
revelations, but while playing the part of a doughy-soft<br />
crash pad for Macklin — future WWE star — a deep<br />
realization burst into my awareness. Or maybe it was a<br />
budding frontal lobe migraine caused by the repeated<br />
blows. Either way, the thought holds true: every phase<br />
of Mack’s young life somehow becomes my favorite.<br />
Again, it may just be a sign of cumulative brain damage<br />
and memory loss, but every shift in personality, every<br />
major or minor milestone achieved, every new<br />
word, step or stumble beguiles me. Is it possible<br />
to fall in love with potty training? To find beauty in<br />
bloodied knees? To embrace fits of tantramonious<br />
rage? Why yes, it is. It is the zen of parenting — loving<br />
your offspring so much, that (most) every moment<br />
blossoms into a cherished memory. A few examples...<br />
THE FIRST GIGGLE<br />
Looking down at a newborn in your arms is tough to<br />
beat. It’s a moment of purity, like looking out the front<br />
window to see winter’s first blanket of unblemished<br />
white snow greet the morning sun (unless you hate<br />
winter, of course). But that first giggle… ah, it’s life<br />
changing. A smile may be the first indication that your<br />
child recognizes you, but a giggle is the first time he<br />
really gets you. I’ve shared in thousands of giggles by<br />
this point, but each one is my favorite.<br />
CURIOUS ABOUT EVERYTHING<br />
Toddlers are as enlightened as any being out there.<br />
Why? Because they live completely in the moment.<br />
Everything is new and mysterious, and everything is<br />
capable of inspiring awe at a moment’s notice. If<br />
you go along for the<br />
journey with<br />
them, you get the chance to<br />
catch a whiff or two<br />
of second- h a n d<br />
awe. Every<br />
walk<br />
2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com