Ben Sloot

Concessions, not the high priced food you buy at the stadium, but here’s my list.

1. Nachos
2. Hot dog (mustard & onions or relish)
3. Crackerjacks
4. Dippin dots – the future is now

No I’m talking about deliberate choices.

Picking your battles, or which hill you choose to die on.

Having a toddler and a newborn in the house really increases the concessions (both number of hotdogs eaten and compromises made). The younger one gets held until she falls asleep no matter the time or situation. The older one gets to watch more TV. (Side note, read the Wikipedia the alter ego of kid icon Blippi aka Stevin John aka Skeezy Grossman).

My wife (MY WIFE!) and I concede sleep, her more than me. Where we bottle fed our first daughter and I could provide meaningful support during the graveyard shift, our second daughter chose a different path.

At first, I’d ask “Do you want me to change her diaper?,” before middle of the night feeds. I’d snooze for a few minutes and ask “Do you want me to hold her till she settles?,” while my wife went back to sleep. At some point my spouse decided having two people awake made less sense than dividing to conquer. She conceded her nights, and I conceded my mornings.

So here I sit drinking a cup of coffee and finishing this post while preparing for the hill I may someday die on. From 6:45am until we depart for daycare at 8:00am, I dance with the devil.

Me and the soon to be 2-year-old, mono y mono. Changing diaper, eating breakfast, packing lunch, getting dressed, doing hair, packing bag, practicing words, wedging her in her car seat… all without resorting to Skeezy Grossman.