Kid Stuff...
2002-12-11 . 12:50 a.m.

I mention him in passing quite frequently but I have yet to fully dedicate a page to my son.

Here he is...Dylan.

Dylan is the product of a two and a half year relationship with Di. Di is five foot tall and played rugby for her local team. I liked her a lot, still do in fact, but our relationship was very dangerous (for me at least). I won't go into it in great detail but suffice to say, several times I had to disarm her to save from being impaled with my own cutlery.

The conception (if you'll forgive me mentioning it) took place when Di said "Make me pregnant".

I said "Okay" and so boom - it was done. Di got bigger over the following months and we had a great time - going to petting zoos together and taking pictures of her bump. We chose the name Dylan because if it was a girl she would have been called Meredith. Meredith is Welsh for "From the Sea" (because Di loves the seaside). Dylan is Welsh for "From the Sea" in masculine form.

I remember spending several weeks reading The Hobbit to Dylan whilst he was in his Mum's tummy.

Dylan was born on the 10th of October 1999 (thus providing me with an easy to remember birthday 10/10/99) and weighed 8lbs 4oz. He was born at about 3am. That day I had worked a fourteen hour shift in a factory. Immediately after he was born he was put in an incubator as he was in shock.

He was a pale white quiet baby. And he was beautiful. Needless to say - he recovered thanks to medical staff present; they have my unending gratitude.

When Di and I still lived together Dylan used to sleep on my chest at night. He was a tiny, fragile thing and I felt happier than anything when he hugged himself to my chest as he slept.

Things deteriorated between me and Di (perhaps it was post natal depression - she was pretty much the same beforehand) and eventually we split up and I moved out. I looked after Dylan full time as a house husband for nine months but then had to get working to actually survive.

Now I see my son at weekends, 3 days one week, 1 the next. I hate it. I love my son so much that it actually hurts when I can't see him. I see parents on the tram with their kids and wish Dylan was there, every child I see reminds me of him.

I wish I had more money and more time to devote to him, so I could take him places but I have no method of transport barring tram or bus so I can't really take my son to all of the sights in the local area. Maybe sometime I will. Regardless of all that, Dylan loves me. He is the most wonderful thing in the world as far as I know. We sit together and read or play with trains (he even makes unca fwetch pick him up and play "Spiderman" with him sometimes).

Most recently - he has learnt his alphabet. He sits on my lap whilst I type and each time I press a letter he goes "T is for Thomas" or "P is for Percy". It's the most amazing thing in the world watching a child learn. I miss a lot of this as kids of Dyl's age learn about 15 new words a day. Seeing as sometimes I only see him for one day out of ten this means I see him one weekend and it's like conversing with a totally different person.

He does that great thing whereby he says words wrong. He dances to music like only a three year old can. He sings nursery rhymes to himself. The greatest thing he has learnt however is to use the DVD player. Oh yes. My three year old child knows which buttons do what. Not only that, he even knows not to touch the disc surface so he puts his little fingers through the centre (Ah, yes! Now all thats left is to teach him how to use a bottle opener and I'll never get up again...)

I'm gonna stop waxing lyrical about my son now. In case you start thinking I'm a big softy or anything. Those of you who are parents should have an idea what I'm talking about, those of you aren't but want to be - you'll find out someday soon - and I wish you all the luck in the world. Hang in there and you'll find it to be the most rewarding experience ever.

Just make sure that whatever happens between you and your partner that you are there for your child when they need you.

I'm gonna go drink beer and watch Rocky now. G'night Y'all...