I like to think that I’m a good person, and I continue to hope that despite my flaws (the number of which varies depending on whom you speak with) that I will continue to grow into a good and responsible father. I am though, by all accounts a stoic person. Again, depending on whom you discuss it with, but stoicism ranges from “laconic” to “cold and emotionless robot.”
I tend to project, I don’t know, austerity? I don’t always smile a lot.
So, when I see something like this, it concerns me. This is a demonstration of the Still Face Experiment. It’s a cognitive exercise that very clearly demonstrates the capacity of infants to understand and respond to emotional cues from their mothers. It’s easy to see, that from even a very early age, children are beginning to form the basis for how they will interact with people as they grow older. You can argue Nurture vs. Nature all day long, but here is empirical evidence that you can try at home.
I try to engage Logan as much as possible, which isn’t nearly as much as I probably should. My idea of engagement and interaction is likely… stunted, but own perceptions of what I desire in social interaction myself. When I do engage and interact, I wonder, “is it enough?” Perhaps I’m just a relatively featureless and static antecedent who performs certain tasks. Should I giggle more? Possibly I should spend more time ticking, or performing raspberries? Maybe he’s too young to be sending down to the corner store to pick up cigarettes and whiskey? Should they be walking on their own before you do that?
Parenting is hard, there really isn’t much of an instruction manual.
That was kinda depressing. Here’s a picture of my son to make up for it.
Man. Is he smiling? I can’t tell. I better tickle his feet tonight.
