A new decade, why not?

My big goal for the upcoming year is a really simple one: to train a 3 year old boy to use a toilet. I have three older kids, so in theory this should not be a significant undertaking. I'm speaking, specifically, of the kid in the picture above.

But, as anyone who has multiple children will tell you, they're all different.

Cute, right? Looks a little like Calvin when he's well-groomed in the old comic strip (I'm dating myself, but screw you younger folks who missed out on "Calvin and Hobbes", I'm sorry newspapers suck these days...). The picture is, naturally, a lie. Cuteness is a survival mechanism designed to avoid death or dismemberment. Some tigers, as we learned in "Caddyshack", eat their young. Cuteness helps distract fathers from having 4th of July barbecues where roasted child is on the menu.

So, that's the big goal for this year. That, and his alphabet and some numbers. Along the journey for the next 360 days I suppose he should be read to, and fed, and cleaned up after, and patiently taught right from wrong (at least, in its' simplest sense). I need to teach him to skate (he starts lessons this weekend) and to root for some teams and against others. Hell, I may even put him on a surfboard this summer.

As I've said before, I'm getting close to 40, which would mark 4 decades of my existence on this plane- and, well, what have I to show for it? Shut up with the kid thing, please, that's easy. They were a joy to bring into the world and a pain to keep here. In my nearly 4 decades I've switched careers many times, I've lied, cheated, stolen, coveted, worshipped the wrong gods, etc etc. (though I haven't killed anything, so there's that in the plus column). I think I've learned but one thing: if you want to see a liar or a cheater or a thief, just look at the person closest to you in the grocery checkout. I also think I've learned that that's the point of my Catholic faith, and that - despite the failings of every human being, we forgive and we seek forgiveness - and then try our best to move on. I've made and lost friends in the process. Perhaps at the very least I can hope that I've learned from my mistakes. I apologize for the preaching.

And....mistakes are what it's all about. This cute little guy at the top of this page is gonna make plenty. And I'll have to mop up after him and pat him on the head and encourage him to try again (or else....what? Explode spontaneously??). I know I'll blow it and lose my patience at least 500 times, but I guess - like him - I'll try again.

How else will I ever learn anything?