Zombie Parenting: 5 Tips for the Sleep Deprived

What do newborn babies and zombie bites have in common?

They can both make you a creature of the night.

While there’s no cure for a zombie virus, there are ways to deal with the plague of sleep deprivation that accompanies every new baby.  And don’t worry, these tips won’t require any brain-feasting or fantastic choreography.

Swaddling and Sleepwalking

I’ve been through quite a few events in my life that left me really short on sleep.  All-nighters of (ahem) studying in college, overnight hospital visits with seriously ill relatives, long road trips and the occasional need to care for sick children that just can’t make it through the night without you.

However, the birth of a new child offers a unique challenge to parents.  Newborn babies rarely sleep through the night for several weeks, and there’s really nothing that you can do to avoid waking up to feed the little angels every few hours…without exception.

If you have children, then you have surely experienced life in the frazzled, drowsy, confusing state of sleep deprivation.  You know what it’s like to live as a zombie parent!  



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The Greatest Joy

There are a few days that define a person’s life and establish their legacy and mark on the world.  Thus far, I’ve been blessed to experience four such days.

When you experience something as life-altering as the welcoming of new life, it’s impossible to understand those that oppose life or commoditize it in terms of money, time or supposed independence.

When you witness the creation of something completely new and unique, it’s difficult to give credence to those that don’t believe in God or respect the power of Covenant Love.

When you see the superb power of true femininity in action, it’s awe-inspiring and quite humbling.  We are all indebted to our mothers and their unique capacity for unconditional love.

Welcome to the family Avery Josephine Riechmann.  You made me a better man today.

Technorati Tags: Children, Family Planning, My Story, Natural Family Planning, Spirituality

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The Joys of Boredom

Do you ever get bored?

Our five-year-old son has recently started throwing out the “I’m bored” line, usually when something he was looking forward to doesn’t work out and he’s “stuck” playing inside at home.  The funny thing is that I realized I was a bit jealous when I heard him say it!

When I was a kid, I probably told my parents I was bored no less than 100 times a week.  We grew up in the sticks, and we were quite poor, so I didn’t get the chance to do a lot of the stuff that my friends from school were doing.  No Little League, no soccer, no Boy Scouts and no neighborhood kids to play with.

Now, this wasn’t entirely bad.  It really helped me develop a love for the outdoors and a pretty wicked imagination.  I guess that will happen when your idea of fun is getting yourself lost in the woods so you can find your way back home, all while pretending you’re a ninja.  But, alas, I was quite a bored little guy for many years.

And I miss it.  



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Do You Pray With Your Kids?

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter!  We had a great day visiting our families after attending an inspiring Mass early in the morning.  And we ended the day by putting our kids to bed and saying their nightly prayers with them.

But this was not something new for the Easter holiday.  We have actually developed several “rituals” throughout the day where we share family prayer, and it’s become a cool part of our family dynamic.

What is Easter?

That’s the type of question my 5-year-old son is likely to ask completely out of the blue.  He’s also been known to ask things like, “Where is Jesus?” or “Who is the best: Baby Jesus or God?” or “Why was Jesus on a cross…did it hurt?”

I can tell you that answering these queries from an inquisitive kid is both challenging and really inspiring.  It can be tough to explain things on his terms (or to actually know the answers sometimes), but it’s so cool to know that he feels connected enough with his faith to wonder.  



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Help! What Are Your Top Parenting Tips?

Parenting is hard.

With the arrival of children comes a LOT of new responsibilities, fears and frustrations.  You are almost guaranteed to get less sleep, and your personal time will be cut dramatically.

When I reflect on my least-proud moments over the past five years, many are related to a loss of patience or a moment of great frustration where I didn’t like the way I acted around or reacted to my kids.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a perfect parent, and it’s tough sometimes.

So, with all of these issues attached to the stork-drop, why in world do we keep having more children?

Because they are best things in the world and they add a priceless value to our lives.  Kids are awesome!

Parents Need Quality Advice

Parenting is probably both the toughest and most rewarding role that we can fill in the world.  To help navigate the waters of father and motherhood, I think we can all use some wise counsel from others who are in (or have been) in our shoes.  



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