Akron Life December 2022

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U P F R O N T

[ Managing Editor | Kelly Petryszyn | kpetryszyn@bakermediagroup.com ]

Be Present

Letting go of the past can move you forward.

My daughter, Izzy, turns 1 this month. Becoming a par ent brings the highest highs and the lowest lows. The first few weeks are a slog, since you have to feed babies every two to three hours, cutting into sleep. You can often do less when the baby surpasses its birth weight. But we had to keep it up and go

When you become a parent, people often say your life is over, but in so many ways, a new life has begun. You have to stop being selfish and put your kid’s needs first. That leads to joy. Your child rewards you — it was tearful to watch Izzy crawl for the first time, and it’s the best feeling to see her happily bounce when I greet her each morning. Perhaps what is most gratifying at this stage is that she gives you grace and lov ingly smiles at you even after you make inevitable mistakes — not catching her when she tumbles after pulling up to standing and bumping her head when getting her out of the car seat. It’s beauti ful that through her eyes, you are more than your mishaps — so we should leave those in the past. The Just A Dad story discusses how Lambert worked to repair relationships hurt by addiction and how people have given him grace and forgiveness. Not let ting the past define him freed him to reha bilitate, become a present father and help so many people through Just A Dad. Wouldn’t it be transcendent if we looked at everyone beyond their pasts and saw each other for who we truly are? It may sound like a dream, and it would take a lot of work for everyone, including myself, but Lambert and his team are doing it and started a movement. Consider the article an invitation to join.

Kelly and Izzy, photo by Smilyn Photography

I began reading “What to Expect the First Year” and other books and arti cles to prep for becoming a parent. But the more you research, the more conflicting the information gets and the more you realize there is no one way to raise your child. Parenting is challenging, but the love for your child drives you to persevere. On pg. 26 read a feature story about Kenny Lambert, who was driven by the birth of his daughter to get sober. He opened the Just A Dad From Akron store that sells positive clothing and does give aways in the inner-city Kenmore neighbor hood. Learning about how he overcame his struggles has inspired others to get out of addiction and more parents and com munity members to step up.

to weekly weigh-ins since Izzy hadn’t for five weeks. Most pediatricians encourage nursing so that’s what we chose, but to fix the issue, we went with our guts and gave her formula and did combo feeds. Sure enough, on the sixth week, she gained weight, and we could dial the night feed ings back! There are other obstacles, but I’m happy to report that her weight is above average to the point that my mom calls her a “butterball.” What has been most helpful in these gray areas is hearing other parents struggle too. After Izzy rolled, she was so active that we had to rock her to sleep for hours. I reached out to my friend, who is also a new mom, and her baby started rolling and was struggling with sleeping as well. It was a relief I wasn’t alone, and a push to persist.

[ Managing Editor Kelly Petryszyn is an adventure seeker, forever a dreamer and an avid supporter of #TeamFiona. ]

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