I sit here in a dark room in a large leather sofa underneath a table lamp. A pretty good setting for some thoughts.
What to think, though...?
Ok, I have one.
There are two kinds of friends. One kind are those that when you get back together from being apart for a long time, it's a little awkward. And the other kind of friend is the kind that no matter how long or how far apart you are, being together is as natural as if you had only seen each other yesterday. I'm trying to make encounters with the first kind of friend less awkward, but I'm not exactly sure how. Or is that a universal problem that can nearly never be avoided? I'm not too worried about the second type of friendship, of course. Those are the friendships I will always cherish the most.
Ah, small thought. While Levi and I were talking about Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai movies and whatnot, we came across this conclusion: there are shows and movies done in the anime style, and those done in the anime genre. I'm pretty sure you could easily tell the difference. Miyazaki merely chose the style of anime to portray his imagination in, but it hardly fits the stereotype we think of when we hear the word "anime". That goes for Shinkai as well. Levi and I agreed that it was the style that drew us more into anime than the actual genre when it came to storytelling. Of course, personally, watching anime as entertainment has its fulfillment. I'm looking at you, Excel Saga.
Over the past few months, I've been thinking about how to be an incredible father. In the last year, I have had countless examples of terrible parenting — and even further, the products of it — in the forms of two of my extended relatives living with me. Rather, two families consisting of extended family members. I feel a little more confident in my parenting skills now that I know what NOT to do. The first? Be an example. If a dad acts too much like a kid, your kids will think it's ok to be immature at all times. There are times to be serious. Teach your kids when those times are. The second point is discipline. Teach your kids what is inappropriate behavior without treating it like a joke or like it's not too big of a deal. They need to learn what is socially acceptable. Also, consistent punishment will work much better than an on-off approach. If you touch a hot stove, you will be burned. It doesn't change its mind. Besides these two laws, you also have to play with your kids. Spend lots of moments as a family. Take a break and visit a park and run around. Take a vacation. Not enough quality time like this won't keep a family very close. That's how my family has become. I promised myself to not be lazy or slothful, and to look for chances to enjoy being with my family when I have one. Those are all my personal guidelines on parenting, I guess.
Guess that's it for now. I'm liking this blog thing, though. I hope I can get a nice laptop when I get back from my mission so that I can share pictures and short videos and stuff. I'm sick of being stuck in 2004. It was so slow back then.
Oh, and I apologize for typos. My iPad likes to predict things a lot.
I'll be the first to admit it:
ReplyDeleteIf they did Doctor Who in anime style, I would worship it. It would be the only thing I talk about. If I had a choice between dying happily with my offspring and wife weeping at my bedside, and watching Doctor Who anime, I wouldn't even bother thinking about it.
Hmmm...if the did the anime Lupin III or Cowboy Bebop style, that would be epic.
ReplyDeleteCan't comment on the style/genre apropos of anime, though I certainly see your point. As a father of two, however, I can certainly endorse your observations, with an active caveat that it is supremely harder to do than to say. A large part of that is dependent on not how well you're a father, it's how well you parent. Without knowing how your wife parents, you'll have to keep your rules pretty loose and general. I was fortunate enough to marry a woman who operated on almost the exact same wavelength as me. Rarely do we disagree about the punishment/reward binary that we have to hammer out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, playing with your kids can be fun, but they are exhausting. Like, genuinely exhausting. Best bet: get a job that you love and that still allows you to give some of that energy to them.
Thanks for your input :3 And yes, I do know that it is a much harder thing to say than to do. And having someone back up what you do only adds to its effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteBut it's a good place to start, right?
I'm going to be the cool dad that all of my kids friends are jealous of. Hopefully.
ReplyDelete