It's not easy being a father, you know. You don't have that natural motherly instinct that most women seem to have from small. You see young girls playing with dolls, putting on clothes on Barbie and holding teddy bears as though they're babies. They have been training from childhood. Most boys prefer to pillage and destroy whatever toys being given to them. I, for one have fond memories of taking a screwdriver and dissecting a remote control car, just to get to the small motor inside it.
So once Haziq comes into our lives, Awi is the one that is like an expert, a natural, I would say. She said that she's been taking care of her many nieces and nephews since she was at primary school. How can you compete with that? A different strategy is needed, I said to myself. I tried to do all the baby-related tasks like changing diapers, preparing formula milk and bathing him once in a while. I suppose I could do these tasks fairly well but it's not something special or unique. Awi can do those tasks 10 times better than I ever could. It's not that we're competing or what, I suppose I want to do something of which I can be personally proud of.
And in the past few days I believe I've found it. You see, one thing about babies that I'm learning, is that as they grow up, their habits and moods also changed. If they are easy to handle at 2 months old, it doesn't mean they will be so at 5 months. Maybe they sleep fairly easy previously but then at a later age, they become increasingly difficult to put to sleep. And that is what we observe Haziq to be.
He likes to throw a tantrum when he's sleepy. Normally, if one is sleepy, he or she will just lie down and sleep straightaway. Haziq is a bit different. We know that he's sleepy but he won't go to sleep just like that. He will cry a bit and refuse to let his body rest. Now, this is where I discover my one parenting skill. I can put Haziq to sleep faster and easier than Awi could. I'll just hold him in my arms, his head resting on my right shoulder and by crooning "Glory, glory Man Utd", he will be in deep slumber within minutes. Great huh? You can say that I'm indoctrinating him from a young age with which football team to support when he's old enough.
So now, Awi will just hand Haziq to me if she's having some difficulty in getting Haziq to sleep. I suppose it's an acknowledgement from a mother, even though it is only that one skill I have been able to develop.....so far.