Parenting | BSitko

Why raising a daughter scares the crap out of me

Nov 06 2015

I remember the first time I had to change my daughter’s diaper. I looked down at the area I’d only known on a casual basis and gasped at the mess. A black tarry substance had coated itself amongst the, ahem, folds and other, err, areas. Gross. Nervously, I grabbed a wipe and proceeded to pat delicately at the soiled sections. Pat, pat, pat. I stopped to admire my work. The mess was wet and smeared quite a bit but otherwise, very little had changed. A nurse, whose breathing I could hear and almost taste behind me, let out a deep sigh. “No, no. You’ll never get it out like that. Haven’t you ever changed a baby’s diaper before?” “Yes, my[…]

Mar 21 2014

“Middle aged is when you’re faced with two temptations and you choose the one that will get you home by 9 o’clock.” – Ronald Regan The gross realization that I am a man who has reached mid-life happened suddenly. I was taking my dog for a walk one evening last summer and as is the normal, I needed to use a doggie bag fairly quickly. There were no trash receptacles nearby so I had to carry the tied up bag in my left hand. 30 minutes later, as I got closer to home, I needed to use another bag. My dog eats a lot. With the leash and new bag in my right hand, and the tied bag in my[…]

Mar 16 2014

As I’ve told my wife, raising children isn’t necessarily hard work but a lot of repetitive work and constant reminders. Brush your teeth. Stop hitting your sister. Leave that alone. Get your hands out of your pants. No, you shouldn’t put ranch dressing on your fingers and eat it. One day last fall, while walking around a crowded festival we mistakenly thought the kids would like, I overheard an older couple talking: “You know what I always say, right?” “No, honey, what’s that?” “Raising kids is like getting pecked to death by a duck.” I laughed out loud. I wanted to hug that man for putting something into words that I was having trouble describing. What is having kids really[…]

Jan 17 2014

It was when I was in the 6th grade that I first realized the true finality of death. It was a watershed moment. I imagine you’ve had one of those moments too. You’ve been running the marathon that is life, and something triggers you to jump out of the race and pause; maybe grab a cup of Gatorade, wipe your brow and contemplate things. I remember one of the first times that ever happened to me. Halfway through 4th grade, a nice couple moved into that vacant white colonial, with the faded red shutters, that sat across my small New Jersey street. They would often come over and hang out with my parents. I was much too young to drink[…]

Taking stock, a personal story, and something pretty dumb

Aug 20 2011

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~Mark Twain Taking stock I’ve been blogging part-time for the past year. I started off doing a lot of it over at Multifamily Insiders and still do from time to time. The way I look at it, this blogging thing is really just a way to speak, to you, to others, about stuff rattling around in my brain. In January, I decided to register my own domain name and over the course of this year have built a very small gathering of followers. I’m not famous, I’m not a webrity, my traffic numbers are paltry at best but it’s hard for me to be mad[…]

Jul 09 2011

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” ~Franklin P. Jones I’m watching my 5 and 3 year old lay on the floor and pay vigil to another CGI movie, Ice Age. It’s a “relaxing” time as a parent and part time blogger because I can actually sit here and type something and they aren’t demanding my undivided attention. These moments are rare and typically only occur in 5 minute increments. You see we have strict laws in this house. When I’m home I am forced to abide by the 5 minute rule. Rule #3.001 as decreed in the Szczytko Family precepts of 2006 are hereby given: You are not allowed to go more[…]

Jun 19 2011

“Dad, you’re someone to look up to no matter how tall I’ve grown.” ~Author Unknown The sun is setting on this perfect fathers day. I’ve been a Father now for 5 years. I try real hard to be a good one. I get mad sometimes when I shouldn’t and often don’t discipline when I should (“Dad, pull my finger.” “Uhh..no son … uhh..sure! LOL”) As my father always said “You didn’t come out of the womb with an instruction manual tied around your foot.” Darn tootin’ about that one. I think I’m doing okay though. When I woke up this morning, I was wearing the first shirt that Luke had ever picked out for me. It was my “I’m the[…]

Apr 24 2011

I was standing in the field with my daughter, a cool bay breeze was blowing off the water. We were getting ready for the whistle to blow and officially begin the annual

Dec 14 2010

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a huge fan of the Christmas season. I’m the fool you’ve seen wearing Santa hats at the store. I can be heard singing random lyrics to random songs and I begin watching Christmas movies on Black Friday. I blame my parents for this crazy behavior. When I was a kid they created an atmosphere of joy and anticipation which would build slowly until Christmas Eve. It was impossible not to get caught up in it. We knew the festivities had begun because Mom would suddenly want to “Let’s go look at the lights!” go driving around. Christmas music would be played a lot around the house. The advent calendar was opened[…]

Nov 26 2010

Turkey day has come and gone this year. I over ate to an extreme and was sound asleep by 9:30. Anyone who has small kids can understand how stressful a day like Thanksgiving can be. But seriously… I’m really thankful for that. What else am I thankful for? I’m sure thankful for my kids. I love them. I’m thankful for my wife… who gave birth to them. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I’m thankful for my old job. Without it I never would’ve found and fallen in love with my wife. I’m thankful for my ex-girlfriend. Without her I never would’ve moved to Maryland and gotten that old job. I’m thankful for York College.[…]

Category - Parenting

Why raising a daughter scares the crap out of me

What being middle aged really means…

Raising kids is like this…

To Live…

Life lessons the kids won’t learn (or how to repeat yourself repeatedly)

Wrapping up a perfect Father’s day

Only the sky should be your limit.

Days before Christmas: My Story

What I was thankful for this year

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