Profile of a Parent

Name:
Mike, Michael, Skippy, Duh Duh Duh (according to Andrew)

FATHER OF:
Andrew Michael D’Ostilio (10 Months)

What You Did Before You Were Someone’s DADDY:
Stayed late at work. Ran every day. Spent uninterrupted time with my wife. Attended or rented any Bruce Willis or Denzel Washington movie ever made.

What You Do For Yourself Now:
Get home at 4:15; Kiss my wife good-bye as she leaves for work at 4:30; Play with Andrew; feed Andrew; play with Andrew again; put Andrew down for bed; watch the Phillies and American Idol; feed the cats; kiss my wife hello at 10:00 PM; have dinner with her at 10:30; watch old episodes of Frasier with her; go to bed. Repeat each day.

What is your favorite thing about being a FATHER?
Watching Andrew’s new facial expression that occur daily, feeding Andrew while he has to listen to patriotic music. I love playing with him and watching him explore new things. Finally, knowing that I will have a life-long buddy.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known before you had children?
How hard it is to find balance in life, and how much love I feel for my boy.

What would you do with an extra free hour in your day?
I would love to do more home improvement projects. Run and Lift.

Who are your go-to people when you have a parenting question? Well, I’m a guy...so I usually go to my wife when I have questions. But when we both don’t have the answers, I go to my friends at work who are moms (Katy Peck and Robyn Danza). I will not ask my mom for advice. For her everything is rooted in doctor’s visits and allergies. Any problem according to my mom is allergy related. We choose not to live in fear like that.

What is the one thing your child(ren) do that always makes you smile?
Andrew chuckles and screams when he’s happy. I love watching Andrew jump in his excersaucer as he’s listing to Julie Andrews sing “The Lonely Goatherd” from Sound of Music (you know the puppet scene) or jumping to John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Andrew likes a little James Brown and Stevie Wonder as well.

Who is your favorite fictional mother? Claire Huxtable, but my favorite dad would have to be her husband, Cliff.


If you could be someone you know for a day, who would it be? I’d like to be Steve Quick. I admire his work ethic, his undying friendship, and his ability to run faster than me. Really, though, I’d like to be Bruce Willis and wear a tank top as I climbed elevator shafts.

If you could ban people from doing something, what would it be? Hurting children, students cursing in the hallways at school, abortions, and putting smut on TV during prime-time hours. I really try to find something good. Thankfully Family Ties, Quantum Leap, The Cosby Show, Golden Girls are all on DVD.

If you could make one mixed CD that would be the only music you could listen to for the rest of your life, what songs would you put on it?
“The Hurricane” by Bob Dylan
“Changes” by Tupac Shakur
“Prelude: Angry Young Man” by Billy Joel
“The Wanderer” by Johnny Cash
“Long Black Veil” by Dave Matthews Band
“My Way” by Frank Sinatra
“Scenes From and Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel
“Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Johnny Cash
“Sweet Child O’Mine” by Guns N Roses
“Lady” by Lenny Kravitz
“Down” by 311
“Crusin” by Smokey Robinson
“Californication” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Ch Ch Check It Out” by the Beastie Boys
“Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys

Of course there’s always “Sexyback” by Justin Timberlake. But that may be a stretch for me to actually bring sexy back. I’d have to find it first or have had it once upon a time to bring it back.

For the record: A profile of parent is not always an invested Mom, but an invested Dad as well. One Maid O Milking is a great friend of mine, and like all good friends, it’s not a friendship if you can’t bust on each other. Rest assured, Maid O’ Milking sends her fair share of digs my way.

****Special thanks to Mike for this week's submission; it's especially nice to hear from a father's perspective. If you'd like to include yourself in the weekly feature, simply answer the questions above and send them in with a picture to: dalessandrochristine@gmail.com