Father Blather

If I could summarize what I've learned about life during these first four years of being a dad, it would be that love is such a small word for such a big, profound, and multidimensional thing. Cheez aside, the other significant lesson I've learned is the value of embracing chaos and uncertainty. By embrace, I really mean acceptance. I do not mean to intentionally create chaos or something. I mean to let go of the overwhelming desire to control situations and all outcomes. Bottom line is that Little Man has no interest in conforming to all of my expectations or needs, and I've learned to be ok with that. I won't lie though. The chaos and uncertainty have worn me down at times. The screaming at 2am, then 4am, then 5am... the tantrums at dinner, the food thrown on the floor... the poop blowouts, the perfectly-aimed golden showers... the car rides with demon boy  -- these experiences can not be endured without anguish. No degree of Buddhist enlightenment can shield you from...

What is colic? No, seriously, what is it? As far as I can tell, it is only defined as a symptom in absence of any other known cause. The symptom is that your baby screams at night on cue like an evil cuckoo clock. For hours. First question. Can colic really be "a thing" if it is only defined by its symptoms? You wouldn't go to a doctor to be diagnosed with runny nose or sore throat. The virus is "the thing" that you'd hope could be diagnosed. So what is "the thing" with colic? Second question. Whether or not it is "a thing", can anything be done to treat colic? Third question. If we haven't defined a cause and we're only talking about symptoms, then shouldn't treatment consider all of the effects? The mental health of the parents is severely affected by colic, so shouldn't treatment, therefore, encompass the well being of the whole family? My first son had colic. He screamed on cue every night, starting at around midnight,...