Day 95

What a nice day today turned out to be!

It was the little guy's 5th birthday and it was a total blast. He seemed to love every minute of it. Of course we did load him up on LEGO, but what self-respecting parent wouldn't?

The cake turned out nice too, though I only enjoyed it vicariously. It certainly looked nice!

I love to see my son smile. He can be such a punk sometimes, mostly when he's sleepy (I wonder where he got that.... ahem), but there are those moments when we connect and it makes me feel wonderful to be alive.

Yes, I dote on him. He's learning, however, that while my love may be unconditional my generosity is not. He earns good things by being good. When he is bad I don't rescind any gifts or promises I've made, I simply don't buy him anything new until the problem is corrected. I also restrict access to things that don't belong to him; things he understands are privileges, not rights.

I refuse to discipline him in anger. Anger is temporary but the effects of actions taken while angry can be permanent.

I refuse to treat him the way that I was treated. Maybe it's because I actually love him and consider his welfare and prosperity, in every aspect of his life, as my sole purpose.

That's why I walk.

Day 95: 5.4 miles in 90 minutes.