Starting Winey Parent

Welcome to the Winey Parent. This is a little something my wife and I have crafted together, and we’re hoping we’ll be a positive outlet for any parent during the good times and the frustrating ones that tend to happen as a parent. Meghan and I are not experts. We have two kids, ages four and about-to-be six (going on sixteen). Meghan is a pre-kindergarten teacher, while I am a work-from-home writer. Meghan’s experience with children, conversations with other teachers and parents, will be a driving force in our content, including sharing the writing responsibilities for our website.

Our site isn’t as fine-tuned as it could be. Our social media doesn’t have an enormous amount of posts, yet. Then, why put it out to the world before it’s officially ready? That’s what I asked myself actually, and if I’m being honest as a parent, that’s just not how things work. We (all parents) are constantly making adjustments and tweaks to our daily lives, while hoping we only bend and not break during emergency situations. I remember all too well the feeling of absolute helplessness when our daughter had a 105.3 temperature on our forehead thermometer, hoping a warm, wet cloth on her head would help break the fever on the way to the hospital. Being a parent is scary. Putting wineyparents.com out there is scary. Maybe that’s the point. I wouldn’t trade all of my fears associated with trying to be a good parent to feel less worried or anxious. So, why not let the world know that I am not perfect, but I’ll sure as heck try my best to be the best father for these two kids, much like Meghan is the best momma for them.

What is Winey Parent?

As you tag along on our journey, we’ll share articles that will read like personal journals, brew together how-tos as a way to tell you what has or hasn’t worked, and highlight products that we’ve found useful during our time as parents. Have you ever used a portable high-chair that clips directly onto any table? Well, we used one for both kids and it was the perfect, doesn’t take up a lot of space tool, which we kept on hand at all times. Yep, we even used it at our own dinner table. Maybe, along the way, you will feel comfortable enough to share your own stories with us. Maybe you’ll comment on one of our Facebook posts, or tag us on Twitter, or perhaps, you’ll just enjoy checking out our date night photos that we’ll share on Instagram. How about Winey Parent Wednesdays? Meghan and I will share a glass of wine each Wednesday night, take a picture or some odd selfie, and then post to Instagram. If we happen to be out on a random date night, albeit as unlikely as that sounds for a mid-week date, we’ll post from wherever we are enjoying a glass.

Winey Parent is about sharing us, Meghan and Travis, and letting those we hope will follow see who we are and why being a parent is so important. Did you experience the same feeling when your children were born? I remember looking at each child after birth and asking myself, “How did we ever live without you?” That sense has never left. The desire to keep them safe and healthy and happy does not waver. Wineyparent.com will be a way for us to continue to share those experiences and feelings that never leave as a parent.

What to Expect

This exploration with Winey Parent will discuss our past journeys, hopefully helping soon-to-be parents. We’ll talk about the present, sharing upcoming events like our daughter’s birthday party – and what you do when it’s scheduled to rain for an outdoors’ party. Meghan and I will even crack open a crystal ball, in the hopes of predicting the future to make way for total Winey Parent domination. I’m just kidding. The only thing we’ll crack open here is a can of beer or a spiked seltzer.

Yes, humor. In all of our times as a parent, we hope we can always find the humor – even if it takes a few moments to find our patience after asking our children to do the same thing eight times in a row. With all of the joys that come with a parent, there are also little frustrations that percolate making us wonder if we’re even doing a good job as a parent. So, maybe the whole Winey Parent thing is a little cathartic too. Huh, go figure.

Winey Parent for All

We hope you’ll stick around. We hope our suggestions are helpful or our stories are at least relatable for you to not feel alone. Whether you’re visiting wineyparent.com for recent articles or product recommendations, tracking social media for updated pictures of our favorite cocktails and date nights, or you’re hoping to find sense in a sometimes-senseless parental world, we hope you find what you’re looking for. We want this to be a place for anyone looking for a little levity, because being a parent is non-stop, but sometimes we need an imaginary pause button to stop the world from spinning and realize everything is going to be okay.

We hope you’ll let us be a pause button in your life, because every parent has enough seriousness in life.