THE FATHER LIFE | the men's magazine for today's fathers

From the Editor's... Sleepy Sunday Night

By: Ben Martin
June 16, 2008

It's been a long day. A good day, but a long day. After planning on just having a simple Father's Day, our plans completely changed in a short amount of time. We went from expecting a day with just the six of us to a day where we hosted my folks overnight and invited my in-laws (brother-in-law in tow) to join us as well for a big, 11-person Father's Day blowout steak dinner.

It was a good day, though. It was nice to see everyone. The food was delicious (especially my wife's apple and pumpkin pies... yes, you should be very jealous). It's good to be with family, and I have family that is good to be with. So it's a good thing.

The downside, though, is the work I usually get done on Sunday afternoon (namely, finalizing the week's articles for The Father Life) was pushed off until this evening. And I was really hoping for a decent bed time tonight! Ah well. For those of you who read last week's column, I did make it through this Father's Day without much in the way of uncomfortable situations. Having two other dads in the room to draw some of the adulation certainly helped!

I have a big challenge ahead of me for this upcoming week: I have a lullaby to write. You see, back when we were expecting Emma, our first, I wrote her a lullaby before she was born. It was one of those adorable first-time dad things to do. Plus, I was working a very boring late-night job where I had essentially nothing to do for long stretches of time. It was a good time to get other stuff done... so one night I wrote a lullaby. It's been Emma's song ever since, and she still sometimes requests it when we're doing our bedtime routine. When Grace came along, there wasn't time for a thoughtful creative process prior to her birth. But once she arrived, there were plenty of nights singing to her to calm her down and put her to sleep. In one of those times, I composed Grace's song on the fly. It stuck, and it joined Emma's lullaby as a standard part of bed time.

When Benjie was born, each child having their own lullaby was now an established part of our tradition. Benjie's song was also composed in action, though purposefully, and spread out over several nights. He still requests "Benjie's Song" almost every time I put him to bed. Callie came along three years ago this week, but I have yet to compose a lullaby for her. In part, it's because Callie didn't need as much comforting to go to sleep when she was very young. She also adopted Brahm's lullaby as a favorite as she got older, making it easier to forgo crafting one just for her. With her third birthday now upon me, however, I need to get her very own song written while she's still young enough for it to matter.

My task this week, then, is to write Callie's lullaby. I'm starting from scratch. I've got nothing--no tune, no ideas, nothing. So wish me well, and check back next Monday for an update. It should be an interesting week!

Until then,

Ben


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From the Editor's... Sleepy Sunday Night By: Ben Martin June 16, 2008 It's been a long day. A good day, but a long day. After planning on just having a simple Father's Day, our plans completely changed in a short amount of time. We went from expecting a day with just the six of us to a day where we hosted my folks overnight and invited my in-laws (brother-in-law in tow) to join us as well for a big, 11-person Father's Day blowout steak dinner. It was a good day, though. It was nice to see everyone. The food was delicious (especially my wife's apple and pumpkin pies... yes, you should be very jealous). It's good to be with family, and I have family that is good to be with. So it's a good thing. The downside, though, is the work I usually get done on Sunday afternoon (namely, finalizing the week's articles for The Father Life) was pushed off until this evening. And I was really hoping for a decent bed time tonight! Ah well. For those of you who read last week's column, I did make it through this Father's Day without much in the way of uncomfortable situations. Having two other dads in the room to draw some of the adulation certainly helped! I have a big challenge ahead of me for this upcoming week: I have a lullaby to write. You see, back when we were expecting Emma, our first, I wrote her a lullaby before she was born. It was one of those adorable first-time dad things to do. Plus, I was working a very boring late-night job where I had essentially nothing to do for long stretches of time. It was a good time to get other stuff done... so one night I wrote a lullaby. It's been Emma's song ever since, and she still sometimes requests it when we're doing our bedtime routine. When Grace came along, there wasn't time for a thoughtful creative process prior to her birth. But once she arrived, there were plenty of nights singing to her to calm her down and put her to sleep. In one of those times, I composed Grace's song on the fly. It stuck, and it joined Emma's lullaby as a standard part of bed time. When Benjie was born, each child having their own lullaby was now an established part of our tradition. Benjie's song was also composed in action, though purposefully, and spread out over several nights. He still requests "Benjie's Song" almost every time I put him to bed. Callie came along three years ago this week, but I have yet to compose a lullaby for her. In part, it's because Callie didn't need as much comforting to go to sleep when she was very young. She also adopted Brahm's lullaby as a favorite as she got older, making it easier to forgo crafting one just for her. With her third birthday now upon me, however, I need to get her very own song written while she's still young enough for it to matter. My task this week, then, is to write Callie's lullaby. I'm starting from scratch. I've got nothing--no tune, no ideas, nothing. So wish me well, and check back next Monday for an update. It should be an interesting week! Until then, Ben