During my childhood, growing up in New York meant a love/hate relationship with cold weather. Basically, I wasn’t fond of the snow. Yet when Mother Nature blanketed our neighborhood with the cold white stuff, I’d venture outside for Winter fun with my friends. Still, once a mere sliver of snow made contact with my skin and slid down the back of my neck, I was done for the day. Besides, hot chocolate with marshmallows awaited and who was I to deny myself a superior experience? Now as a Dad, the paradigm has shifted. Once cold weather hits, I’m officially on the job.
New York has been relatively fortunate this Winter with abnormally high temperatures. Yet the state hasn’t been completely unscathed. A major snowstorm hit us in January dumping upwards of 3 feet of snow. Every fibre of my being implored me to stay inside until the warm rays of Springtime sunshine melted away Winter’s handiwork. Begrudgingly, responsible me knew there were family cars that needed to be dug out. Also noteworthy, my kids were bursting at the seams to play in the snow. Besides, those little buggers realize they can break me with their big-eyed hugs. “Please, please, please Daddy!” Ruthless.
Unlike me, my children REALLY love the snow. They seem freakishly impervious to the effects of the cold. Their playtime in the frigid matter can be measured in countless hours rather than the mere minutes I’d prefer. I never dreamt as a kid I’d be the Dad who’d welcome roughhousing with my children outdoors. Perhaps I thought I’d be too busy fighting crime as the caped crusader. Did I mention I wanted to be Batman when I grew up? But I digress. Play really is the thing when you have a family.
Time does indeed fly when one’s having fun but there was still the matter of digging out the cars. Coincidentally, both of my kids felt inspired to go inside once the shoveling began in earnest. My wife snapped a few Winter photos of the frozen duo and promptly took them indoors to thaw. Emotionally my enthusiasm for the snow plummeted exponentially. Physically my fingertips stung from over exposure to the elements and my throat felt a bit dry and raw too. I popped a cherry flavored Fisherman’s Friend lozenge into my mouth to soothe my ails. I never expected a lozenge to pack such a kick. It provided me that last bit of motivation I needed to power through the shoveling.
When I came inside from the cold I witnessed my wife and kids all snuggled up in a warm blanket on the couch watching a movie. Rather than make my presence known, I simply basked in the heartwarming glow. I realized this is our story unfolding. This is my life as a Dad. Sure it was cold outside, but I can take it.
Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Fisherman’s Friend for this promotion.
