#hanstein

Burg Hanstein

As a stay at home dad I obviously don't get as much human interaction as people out in the workforce. This isn't a burden considering I have a self diagnosed case of social anxiety disorder and don't care much for interacting with large groups of mouth breathers. Yet, I am surprisingly affected, suffering from something not quite as severe as cabin fever but it can still be unsettling at times.

So, who exactly can I talk to? Liam who is a seven week old baby and Scarlett our dog. Do I talk to them? You bet. Does that make me crazy? I have no idea. Will I stop asking and answering my own questions? Yes. Obviously, we're not having full fledged conversations...hell, Liam won't even respond and Scarlett just chews on her own butt, but they're great listeners.

Our "conversations" go well beyond the realm of normal child-parent interaction. It's pretty common to hear a parent talk to their baby, either with baby talk (not big in our household) or stuff like "are you hungry" or "time to change that diaper" but I go a little beyond simple banter. The other day while watching the documentary, "I Think We're Alone Now," which is about a man with Asperger's Syndrome and a transsexual who are stalkers of 80's pop sensation, Tiffany (get the title?) I leaned to him and asked questions like "what the hell is wrong with people" or "is this guy serious". While driving on the road, I often ask, "did you see that asshole".