Eric Stromer's Parenting Style When Watching the Kids
Submitted by
Eric Stromer
So, there are times in a man's life as a father when he must watch the children alone—without his wife. I have to do it on occasion. And during that time, it's not beyond me to put on the big Bose headphones and drown out the kids. Because let's face it: Sometimes the decibel level of three screaming kids makes my skin crawl.
So say I'm cooking a fine Sunday morning breakfast, which I'm known to do, I'll just grab the headphones and start cooking in peace. That way, instead of a headache from the screaming kids, I'm whisked away into a world of Italian music. (And I'm also not distracted from making my world-famous pancakes or frying up a mean plate of bacon.)
Now sometimes, these tune-out sessions can last quite a while—and I'm good with that, as long as I have visual contact and always have my kids in my peripheral vision. Then, if I see too much scuttling action, I can quickly yank off the headphones and say, "OK, is there any blood?"
I know some parents might be horrified to hear this, but really, sometimes I need to tune my kids out to save my sanity. Vivaldi does that for me. And it beats the hell out of Valium.
Besides being a dad, Eric Stromer is best known as the host of Over Your Head on HGTV, and the AOL host of "Do It Yourself with Eric Stromer."
What else is on Eric's mind?
The Big Brother Burden
The differences between boys and girls
Decorating kid's rooms
DIY construction
Eric's Cowboy Crepes recipe
Submit!
