A crucial piece of advice that I must give you as a Dad is get out of the house. Your child can’t do much, and even though he slowly starts getting more and more mobile and fun, you have to find reasons to get outside every once in a while. Now, this doesn’t mean ditch your kid and hope he doesn’t do anything stupid; you do need to bring him along if nobody else is around.
Here’s the thing, babies love fresh air. And it gets you alone time where you don’t need to do any thinking. You just walk and push a stroller, so your mind can go anywhere, and being alone with a blank mind is one of the most blissful feelings out there. Plus, if you do have thoughts running through your head, you can talk them out with the baby. You can say whatever you want, because he’s a baby, so your secret is actually safe with him. I’ve confessed so many horrific crimes to my baby that I could be put away for multiple lifetimes, but luckily, that dude is a vault when it comes to my atrocities.
And that’s just rolling him around in the stroller. The outdoors are also great once he gets mobile, because he alleviates any stress of thinking of things to do as he totally finds his own fun. Sometimes, he wants to check out fish swimming in the creek, sometimes he just wants to check out plants and lizards, and most of all, this man can entertain himself for a long time when we go down the road to watch cars. We have spent an hour straight playing My Car, Your Car (literally just going back and forth between who gets what car as they pass by, and since I’m insanely competitive, I do keep score, although I think even the dog is beating me in the lifetime standings). It’s totally enjoyable, and it makes you appreciate the little things . Since he gets super excited about nearby garbage trucks, landscaping crews, and airplanes, it gives you a new appreciation for those simple things as well. About once a week, I hear the garbage truck coming, scoop up Spencer, and sprint outside barefoot so we can watch it pick up trash and dump it with the mechanical arm. I might keep doing that even when he’s a teenager (although he might fight me more when I try to scoop him up).
But trust me, there are a lot of times where he is awake and you just don’t have anything to do with him. Sure, you could let him play with toys, but sometimes, even he seems a tad bored with the routine, so take him to the great outdoors, let him get a whiff of that fresh air, see the world and explore. It’s the best thing for both of you.