Paying Attention
My friend Steve once told me: Never admit to not paying attention–even if it’s true.
He and I were on a ‘trip’ together when we lived in Chicago. We would play games like Pretend We’re Dead in the Grocery Store. It was simple enough; enter the grocery store without touching a door, speak to no one, touch nothing, walk around, leave the store without touching the door. It seems simple, yet remembering that you’re dead in the Dominck’s is difficult when you see toilet paper, and you know you’re out at home.
Both remembering and attention were the skills we worked on for years, and still do. Raising a child without diapers is like having the attention button always on. And though having a high attention may sound like a drag (and sometime it is–which is why I don’t always use it either), it can be wildly rewarding. I love getting to the mid-afternoon, knowing that I’ve ‘caught’ all of Jacob’s pee’s. On those days, I know that he and I are grooving well. Not only am I making oatmeal, but I’m also in tune with a specific need Jacob has–and we’re addressing it together.
Jacob’s fortunate to have such a cool dad. Nice work.
Props to my mom. Thanks Lara.
We could all remember and pay attention to each other better. Just think, if a new generation of parents like you start doing this really well and then your kids pick up on this way of being…yes, we’d change the world and everyone would be so much happier. It all starts with kicking the diaper habit…
It’s a hard habit to kick. We live in a culture of convenience. With that, the diaper companies continually make it easier for kids to wear diapers longer.
It’s not easy to talk about. The solution is kind of obscure and doesn’t seem to fit within the context of our day to day parenting habits.
A friend told me that she has helped her community by assisting other families who are doing diaper free by learning how to do it too! So that when she is with the kiddo, she can know the signals to look out for–even though she is not the primary care giver. How cool!