White Coat Underground

There’s nothing like the sound of a little kid laughing. It’s not just a sound, but an experience of the entire body and mind. They lose control—often of the bladder, and without shame. Anything sets them off—a joke, a pratfall, a burp (and everyone’s favorite, the butt-trumpet).

i-9a12c979d803db50deb4cdd7ca2a4bc3-Picture 758.jpg

We had a great weekend together. Lot’s of play time and cuddling. Her cousin came over to play. They’re about a year-and-a-half apart and have sleep-overs all the time. They might as well be sisters (they sure fight like sisters).

Nights are the best, laughs or not. She loves my iPod (as do I) and we listen to a couple of songs every night, ending up with “Golden Slumbers”. There’s nothing cuddlier than a four-year-old in pj’s. I really do not want her to grow up.

Comments

#1 D. C. Sessions
March 23, 2009

I really do not want her to grow up.

But then you’d miss out on all of those other delightful ages.

And they are. They truly are.
#2 Dianne
March 23, 2009

Don’t worry. Five year olds in pajamas are pretty cuddly too. And make quantum leaps in their mental abilities.
#3 Courtney
March 23, 2009

It’s nice to see a dad that can be so open about his love for his daughter. My husband gets insanely frustrated about all the parenting magazines that have headlines about “Why You Hate Your Husband” and “How to get your husband more involved with the kids”….
#4 Diane
March 24, 2009

As wonderful as Four is, Five is even better. And it keeps going, each year, better than the one before. My kids are much older, but still enjoy sharing a blanket with me while we read together.
#5 Bill Williams
March 24, 2009

As a parent I can relate to the pride and joy you must feel. As a consumer of science blogs, I am annoyed by personal posts like this. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t know you and I have no interest in your personal life. I read science blogs to enhance my understanding of nature and scientific methods. Pictures of your children and posts about parenting are noise and clutter.

Perhaps you would like to receive emails from me on an ongoing basis with photos and stories about my daughter? Probably not. Hence, my point.

Obviously this is your blog and you can do whatever you like. I’m sure I speak for others when I say that too much fluff with lower your readership, i.e., I am likely to unsubscribe.

Thanks for the great work (when it really is work).
#6 PalMD
March 24, 2009

Thanks, bill…i’ll miss you about as much as i miss my tonsils.
#7 Isis the Scientist
March 24, 2009

Bill, I would love to receive stories and pictures about your children. I’ll bet they’re scrappy little things.

There are a lot of young physicians and scientists who look to Pal for advice on how to manage their careers and I imagine they appreciate his discussions of fatherhood.

The scientific method includes the experimental design, but is dependent on the people who are performing said experiments. These types are discussions are important to those scientists
#8 Abel Pharmboy
March 24, 2009

Keep it comin’, Brother Pal. This new ‘Fatherhood’ category is outstanding. I don’t know how you pack it all into a day but it’s incredibly important for all of us – profs to students – to know how our role models set their priorities.

The giggling 6 yo in our house is the joy of my life as well. However, I use the iPhone iPod and there is much more interest at bedtime in playing one of the kids’ apps such as Scoops or Lemonade Stand.
#9 D. C. Sessions
March 24, 2009

My kids are much older, but still enjoy sharing a blanket with me while we read together.

You know, Diane, I get more hugs from my sons now that they’re in their mid-20s than I did for all of their teens.

Much as I have always loved my kids, it’s too cool for words to have them as friends too, that I can go out for a beer and enjoy their (informed! Yes!!) views on the world.

It’s all good. Enjoy in big servings, because it’s non-fattening and won’t be around for seconds.

PS: Bill, stuff it.
PPS: Carry on, Doctor!
#10 Epinephrine
March 24, 2009

I appreciate the parenting posts, especially as a science dad.

Bill: If you don’t like it, don’t read it. It’s pretty obvious which posts relate to children, so you can simply skip those.
#11 PalMD
March 24, 2009

I’m thinking about some kind of warning label, like:

Attention: the following post contains pictures, words and other content that may not related directly to science and medicine but instead to the people that practice it. If you find this type of self-involvement unpalatable, please skip this post and return to googling “goat sex”.
#12 Bill Williams
March 24, 2009

PalMD> please skip this post and return to googling “goat sex”.

Wow – that’s classy. I gave honest frank feedback as to why I am not compelled to follow your otherwise excellent blog. Assuming that you want a large readership, it might be useful to know why people unsubscribe. As I’m sure you know, if you only listen to yes “men” (people), confirmation bias and other influences can create a rather distorted view of reality.

Since you stooped to the goat sex comment, here’s a little more of my honest feedback. There are billions of monkeys (apes) on this planet who are proud of their genetic offspring and love to gloat. So you really really love the little monkeys that you sired. Wow, really?!?! Your evolutionary history compels you to have strong emotions toward beings that carry half of your genome, and you want to tell everyone? Gosh, that IS impressive.

I sense a rather large ego. Most parents rejoice with close friends and family (people who genuinely care). Rather than just indulging the grandparents, you created a science blog, offer excellent content, and then impose your unremarkable personal life on your readers. People who are interested in your professional perspective are surely interested in the blatantly obvious fact that you love your kids (talk about a non-sequitur).

As for the few supportive comments from your readers, they are nice. Keep in mind that most people skip over your time-wasting posts and wouldn’t dream of wasting more time reading related comments from your handful of “daddy” fans. Maybe the fans should go on the email list with your grandparents. Then you could focus on science blogging and stop deluding yourself into thinking that complete strangers really care about your personal life.

I follow over a hundred philosophical and science blogs and yours is the only one with the giant swollen daddy ego. I’m moving on.

Bill

P.S. I’ll leave the goat sex to you (it was, after all, your idea).
#13 PalMD
March 24, 2009

then impose your unremarkable personal life on your readers.

Dude, i don’t force people to read my blog.

I’m moving on.

You keep saying that…i do not think it means what you think it means.
#14 antipodean
March 24, 2009

Bill

Scientists and physicians are real people too. Some of us have spouses and children and they are actually an important context to our professional work.
#15 Donna B.
March 24, 2009

I’m with D.C. Sessions here – my grown-up children are now my best friends and there is everything to look forward to. Not to mention when your children start producing copies of themselves, you get to do it all over again!

Bill, if you follow 100s of other blogs that you like better why bother commenting here? Do you honestly think Pal is gonna miss you when you’re gone? Really, there’s no need to notify him of your impending departure.

Please don’t tell me you were expecting him to beg you to stay, to promise never to speak of his daughter again… surely no one body can possess an ego that size!
#16 Bill Williams
March 24, 2009

>You keep saying that…i do not think it means what you think it means.

After your comment about your tonsils, I unsubscribed from my blog reader and as many people do, I refreshed the comments page to see what people had to say about my original post. It wasn’t until you went ad hominem by implying that I’m into bestiality that I wrote my rant.

And no Donna, I didn’t expect PalMD to beg or to abandon his daughter. That is a strawman argument and a “stoopid” comment. As I noted in both posts, I was sharing my reason for discontent. Why exactly is there a comments section if you can’t share what you think about the blog?!?!

So, unless PalMD would like to make any more childish insults of a sexual nature, I’ll be on my way.

Bill
#17 Joannah
March 25, 2009

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Joannah

http://linuxmemory.net
#18 Thomas
March 25, 2009

Oh, that’s so sweet!

It makes me miss my nieces who are now half a world away. I’m sure glad I was there for the cuddly early years, though.
#19 Danimal
March 25, 2009

My son is now 10 and still likes the cuddle. What I worry about is the teenage years. When I was a teenager I was embarrassed to be around my parents with my friends. I do look forward to the thought of when he brings his first true girlfriend home and I show her videos of him bathing as a baby. My bad. Still brings an evil smile to my face.
#20 ctenotrish
March 25, 2009

Love the Fatherhood posts – keep ‘em coming!
#21 lecinqblog
March 27, 2009

They lose control of their bladder when they laugh? Really? hmmmmmmm