Inspiring Writers for Me: Bonnie Burton

Bonnie Burton is a phenomenal writer. Her "I'm going to write and post every day" mentality (my quote, not hers), is one reason why she is on my list of writers who inspire me.

Bonnie's ability to write entertaining articles on a wide variety of topics not only increases her value as a writer, but shows a fervent desire to stay involved and share current events. Perhaps this passion, as well as her talent, explains her presence in so many different organizations; CNET, SFX Magazine, and Geek and Sundry to name a few.

Out of all of her articles, it wasn't her piece about Trent Reznor discussing his opinion on streaming music that got my attention. It wasn't her Fiasco appearance on TableTop. It wasn't even a very recent tweet sharing a video of Star Trek: The Next Generation outtakes. What got my attention and led me to the world of Ms. Burton?

It was a #parent episode, "Geek Crafting with Kids" on Geek and Sundry that made me realize the depth of her creativity. I watched the episode as it streamed live, which happened to be shortly before I became a father for the first time. I watched Bonnie and three others have fun discussing their creations and creative ideas to make wonderful crafts for kids. My first thought was, "How can I do these things?"

I want to be able to do something like this with my kids one day and the enthusiasm from this group made me realize it's the same mentality I want to bring to my parenting. Soon thereafter, I followed @bonniegrrl on Twitter and this eventually led me to the daily wealth of her writing. As much as I like her writing, it helps tremendously that she is genuine, funny, and an advocate for women and overall decency, which I believe translates in the tone of her work.

The writing is fun, easy to follow even with tech stories, and her good spirited nature makes it that much easier to continue following her stellar path. When I think of my kids growing up (now father of two) and looking up to people as role models, it's obvious Bonnie Burton is an individual that loves what she's doing and makes an effort to speak up on important topics; like anti-bullying. Sometimes it's the kind of person that enhances the appeal of someone else's craft, so it makes me hopeful my kids will have someone like this to look up to one day.

As a writer, I sometimes wonder when my next book will be finished, whether I'll blog about my favorite TV show or my life with my wife and kids, or if I'll find time to send a tweet. Bonnie's commitment to writing and ultimately having fun while doing it makes me hope for my own successes. She makes me realize why I put in the time to do what I do.



Bonnie Burton can also be followed on the following sites:

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Come Here

So, I had a moment the other day when I was trying to get my daughter to follow directions and come by my side. We might've been at home or at the grocery store, but my voice suddenly transformed.

Did I get angry? Did I get frustrated?

Not exactly.

I seamlessly added a funny, grumbly kind of voice that mimics a character from Mortal Kombat and said, "Come here."

My tone was gravelly, rumbly, and I had a smile on my face. She smiled. And I couldn't help but laugh and she laughed and repeated my words in a gravely, rumbly, gremlin-like voice.

Yeah, I briefly questioned whether or why I would do something like that, but it just came naturally. A voice, a tone, and a smile, which turned into smiles and laughter...and now the phrase is being repeated in my household.

For the life and love I have for my family, come here!

Parenting 101 or 10something

In some cases, I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin, because I'm so worried that something will happen. Perhaps I should start by saying I'm a parent. I'm a father of two little ones; big girl is 22 months old and baby moby is two months old. So where was I?

Oh yeah, sometimes feeling like I'm going to crawl out of my skin. Let's say, as a parent, I have to move beyond that paranoid, worried, or whatever word to describe my "sometimes" OCD and helicopter-syndrome parenthood. If she falls, could I have caught her? If he spits up, could I have held him up longer? So where does this notion of moving beyond the paranoid come from?

Because sometimes, many times, I feel like a super hero. I feel like my glasses are my super powers. And perhaps that's because since big girl was younger, I would tell her to watch as dada put on his super powers. It was a way to let her adjust to a somewhat subtle change in my appearance, but with her knowing it was still dada.

What's it like to feel like a super hero? Perhaps it feels like a 30 something adult (with a bow in his hair) on all fours as his daughter tries to climb on his back. Perhaps it feels like having the perfect rocking mojo to swing baby boy to sleep. Perhaps it's knowing you can still make your wife laugh when she's had a long day. Fortunately, I have the right one by my side to help me become the parent I want to be.

I take my parenting like I approach my writing. I think I'm good, but I'll never think I'll be great or perfect. It's knowing that all I want to do is be better than I was the day before or at least be as involved as I was the day before. So I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin. So what.

Perhaps it's that feeling that makes me want to try so hard. Perhaps it's that feeling that makes feeling like a super hero feel so damn satisfying. All I want to do is be the best father, and essentially the best husband to a fantastic wife and mother, because I know the relationship with her will hopefully translate to my children.

So sometimes I am a super hero. As long as I always try to protect and provide and feel the need to show them how much I love them so, I will always be a super hero. And I must never forget that.

Perhaps that is lesson 101.

+ 1

My family has increased in size. Our baby boy, "a peanut compared to our daughter" according to my wife, was ten pounds and one ounce. He was a mere three ounces shy of his big sister. This "little" guy we've nicknamed baby moby. We created nicknames for each child before they were born, so it made it easier to talk about them with our family and friends without sharing their names. Baby owl is our daughter; baby moby is our son.

Although baby owl has turned into big girl owl at 20 months old, I already wonder what baby moby will be at that age. It seems like we were traveling at warp speed during this pregnancy, with only glancing moments as we pass by each day.

We've got to feed the cat; one day. We've got to take the trash out; another day. The trash was supposed to go out last night; crap. The days, weeks, and months included room preparations, additional baby product purchases, and getting big girl ready for being a big sister and having a little brother.

It's amazing to see the differences and similarities between our two children, especially during these first two weeks. They have similar facial features, but different hair color and cries. It's a non-stop ride and I never want to get off. We're getting into a routine slowly, but he's already getting decent chunks of sleep at night.

And baby girl is doing such a wonderful job with him. She always wants to go over to him and give him a pacifier, blanket, or one of her toys. It's such a wonderful feeling to have both of them in our lives. I hold them whenever I can, I read to them whenever I can, and one day I'll chase both of them around the house. For now, I don't think he'll mind that it's just her.

We Are One

My daughter is one. In what seems like a much shorter period, she has grown up so quickly. From the absolute dependence a small baby needs, to a roaming little baby girl that wants to already do things herself. Her nicknames are baby owl, baby girl, pretty, and any number of other names that sound cute because that's exactly what she is.

She is precious to me and my wife. She shows her love with the excitement she has when she sees us, even if it's from a short absence of our presence. I would give anything to be with her at all times, but I have come to realize things during her first year. In a sense, I am only one too.

I am a father and she is our first child. I feel a sense of helplessness sometimes, knowing I can't protect her all of the time, but always wanting to makes me feel like I'm doing everything I can to watch after her and be the best dad I can be for her. She deserves that. She deserves the best I can be for her, so she will one day realize she is worth the love and support that her mother and father have for the daughter they cherish more than anything else in this world.

This isn't about expectations. It's about the life we want for her. To be able to love like we have and to make choices like we have and to feel the wonderful responsibility of one day having her own child. Yes, that is a long time away, yet I hope time seems to slowly pass so I can love every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year.

That's what she means to me. I fear missing the time I've already missed, but know supporting a family comes at a price we all share. We must provide for the ones we love and the time away working is only a bridge where my wife and little girl are waiting on the other side. I am so fond for the end of the day, not to be done with work, but to start the day with my family.

Yesterday, our daughter slept beside me for a little while before work. It was the best Monday morning before work I've ever had in my life. It's knowing that she needed her momma and dadda a little earlier than she normally wakes up, and being able to go to her room, pick her up, and let her sleep next to us.

I hope I can provide what she needs for all time and I will strive with every effort to achieve that. It's what she deserves. It's what she will get.