Our 417th Dad in the Limelight is Jonathan Esterman. I want to thank Jonathan for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
Hi, my name is Jonathan Esterman.
I am a hobby blogger for scriptedgenius.com and dadlib.com and blog about fatherhood, theology, technology, product reviews, and anything else I feel like at the moment. I am active on social media and have written several shorts and a fictional book series, all published for Kindle.
In addition to all of that, I work a regular day job (haven’t made livable wages off my works yet) as a social media rep for a company and am working on my Masters degree online in my spare time. Also, I am a Dad and Husband.
2) Tell me about your family
I am married to Lé Wifey (her call sign on my blogs) and we share the duty of parenthood with two rapscallion boys, 1.0 (age 5) and 2.0 (age 2). No, it’s not their literal names…but certainly sets a geeky tone for my posts!
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
Honestly, each day is a new challenge. That’s why I started a blog about being a dad…because there are so many unique struggles, but also so very many joys in between. As my boys grow, I am continually confronted with new ways to negotiate, motivate, and encourage my boys and help them grow into brilliant men of integrity. If I had to narrow down my challenge to one specific scenario…it would be with 1.0, as he is with my wife and I 50% of the time (spending the other half of his time with his biological mother). Having two households is certainly a challenge, not just for us and him, but also for 2.0, who doesn’t quite get it yet.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
I could provide tons of advice, tips, and tricks, but perhaps it’s best to narrow it down to one thing: listen. Listen to your wife – she’s probably spot on with some concerns, such as not swinging the newborn around upside down. Listen to your kids – they can tell you the wonders of the world if you give them quality time (quantity time is important too, so try to balance it there). Also, listen to your intuition – if you don’t think an idea is a good one, there’s a good reason for it. I have found that by listening, most of the issues seem to resolve themselves. After all, everyone appreciates feeling validated.
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life.
I have to remember my priorities. Being a father and husband come first for me, and everything else comes second. Sometimes, I miss a blog post. Other times, I have to take a sick day to take care of a sick kiddo. Luckily, though, my day job provides enough for my wife to stay home and handle most scenarios. That said, I do have some envy for the stay at home dads.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
Every dad has their own method to their madness. I fall more into the geek type of dad, with a religious twist (being Messianic Jewish), but I find that there’s one thing that is the same for all dads: an inner sense and desire for fun with their kids. In small groups and at large, what I have learned from other dads is that there is no one right way to fatherhood, and that if all else fails, laugh it off as a fun game…more often than not, the kids will laugh with you.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
Fatherhood is not for the light of heart. There are moments of utter joy and times of complete frustration. Often enough, they are back to back as well. It’s a roller coaster of a journey through life, and one not to be missed. Each day that passes is another day for the books. We’ve had pee wars, playing with cars, and family game night, each one worth remembering and reliving.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
Of all my experiences as a father, if I were to have a highlight reel, a few of the memories would include one of the first nights 1.0 was home from being born, 2.0’s journey into the world, our trip to Disneyland two years ago, and the Pee Wars.
One of 1.0’s first days of life involved him sleeping on me laying on the couch, skin on skin contact. Suddenly, I felt warm liquid run down my side. He had peed right through his diaper, and all over me! Later forensic studies revealed that his diaper (Luvs) did not absorb anything. Since then, I have only used Huggies. Live and learn, then ditch Luvs.
2.0’s journey into the world was captured practically as stop-motion. His first few nights in the hospital room involved me holding him against my chest under my shirt, keeping him warm while he slept. Perhaps that’s why he still sleeps with us in bed, using me for warmth and cuddles…
The trip to Disneyland would sound self-explanatory, but to a surprise, it did not go as one would imagine. We went with family in hopes of a great time, but the place was overcrowded and busy (just after Christmas). 2.0 was too young to remember anything, only being four months old. 1.0 was three years old at the time, and was terrified of every ride. We started off in It’s a Small World, with him crying and clawing to hide with me and not with grandpa. The climax was Pirates of the Caribbean, of which he was obsessed with Jack Sparrow beforehand, but has not done imaginary play time as him since then.
Lastly, the Pee Wars. Rather than share it all here, I’m going to use some shameless self-promotion and redirect you to my new blog on fatherhood, Dadlib: http://dadlib.com/2014/01/pee-wars/.
Thanks for the chance to share a bit about myself, my family, and my blogs!
If you have any questions for Jonathan, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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