#7: The New Adventures of Old Talents

When you have a kid, you put old talents to new use.

As I mentioned before, I am a musician.  While I play some guitar and piano, I am primarily a drummer.   I officially started playing drums when I was nine, though my parents tell me I started banging on pots and pans well before that.  And I've been playing in bands just as long.  In fact, my friend Nate and I started our first band before we could even play our instruments -- we spent our time coming up with band names and making posters -- and we're still in a band today.

Since A. was born, though, I've had very little time to play music.  Because of a confluence of major life events involving myself and other band members, Quoins went on hiatus.  And because of the constant effort required to care for a newborn, I haven't even played much around the house.  On the rare occasions I have been able to dabble with the piano, I've learned lullabies and nursery rhymes for A.

But as the title of this post suggests, I've been able to apply my drumming skills to the new-found challenges of parenting.  Drumming requires limb independence -- the ability to use all four limbs independently, without focusing on each one individually.  Thanks to my limb independence, I can simultaneously do something with my hands, such as eat, type, or navigate the TV remote, while using one foot to keep the Hoppy Days Bouncer bouncing at a steady rhythm.  It's like I'm playing a little baby bass drum.  And it does the trick.  I am able to keep A. sleeping or content, while getting something else done.  As a first-time parent, that's no small feat.

How have you applied old talents to the new challenges of parenting?