I sat down to write on yet another of my five topics and started to look inward when I originally thought I might have looked out. Write about a common misconception people have. Again, I had dug into the dark corners of the net seeking some bit of inspiration or insight to the question I had posed, but the more I read the more I started feeling rather overwhelmed with bits of self-doubt and personal skepticism on my seemingly exhausted inspiration for this blog as a whole. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not planning on stopping any time soon. But I’ve been wrestling with something of a perception of misconception that has blossomed from both the growing readership of this blog and the varied scope of feedback I’ve received in the past months. That misconception? I think when one hangs their shingle out on the web, writes a regular collection of text on a subject, and waits for reply there is a general misconception that evolves directly out of that: a misconception that the author is something more than an average guy pecking out his thoughts on a keyboard and uploading them for the world to read.

Call me what you will, but from the beginning of this blog I’ve been held captive between a desire to get parents thinking skeptically — and my skeptical thinking on my own ability to be an authority on said topic. I’m not perfect, but sometimes I think I write only about one side of this parenting equation — and an ideal one at that.

So, just to clear things up…

I’m an average guy. I do average things. Sometimes I sit in front of the television. Sometimes I spend too much time playing video games.

I strive to be a good parent, but I’m not perfect. I get mad when The Girl throws food on the floor and laughs about it. I roll over and stuff my head further into the pillow when she wakes up at 5 AM and wants out of her crib. Sometimes I’m glad after I’ve dropped her off at the day home, particularly following a tough morning — or late, late night. And, just occasionally, I let her eat cookies between meals because she stops crying then and it’s just easier that way.

I’ve rushed through bath time when I know there is a show I want to watch or a book I’ve been reading.

I’ve been too tired lots of times to get off the couch and play “blocks” or “babies” or whatever happens to be the game of the week.

There are times I’d rather do the dishes than deal with a surly child — and I get my way.

I do my best to keep critical thinking and skeptical parenting top of mind, but I slip more often than not. I often, still, look at the “learning objectives” on the packaging of toys and need to catch myself on the skepticism part. I’ve temporarily given up on extensive amounts of reading aloud because The Girl is far more interested in picture books with characters she recognizes. And, I admit it, I catch myself reading all kinds of parenting blogs and online advice and a part of me just wants to be lazy and take it at face value.

I’m an average guy. I happen to be a dad. And I happen to want to be a skeptical parent. I hope not too many people thought there was something more than that here. Misconception resolved? I doubt it.