Because trouble comes in all sizes.
When you’re a father of young children you will inevitably discover the foolhardy endeavor of taking a sick day. This holds true for whether you work at an office or are a stay at home Dad. Sure you can plan to take time off to recuperate. But when you have young children residing in your humble abode, their expectations of receiving undivided attention remains unfettered by a parent’s state of health.
My entire life I’ve been told to tell the truth. The noble premise imparting “the truth shall set you free” forever ingrained in my mind. The memorable tale of George Washington admitting his complete guilt in the cherry tree massacre resulting in his personal transformational epiphany that truth holds more power than any lie. All wonderful deeply profound concepts I treasured. Then I had children. As they’ve grown more aware of the world and their surroundings, the use of the “little white lie” has gained prominence. That’s right folks, I lie to my kids. And I do it because I love them.
We walked past a few pretty flowers today. My nearly two year old daughter gleefully determined the size, shape and color of this floral display. I smiled in amazement of how quickly she’d developed this perception from just a month ago. The visual connections were evident to her before but now she could verbalize them. This captivation with nature quickly gave way to a desire to run. Her curly blonde hair bounced in tandem with a playful gallop. My daughter’s passage from baby to toddler had arrived.
My almost 2 year old daughter had never been to this particular playground before. New sights, sounds and smells ignited her senses. Geese splashed about in the pond. In the opposite direction, ocean waves crashed along the shoreline. Full of confidence she hastily proceeded down the steps of the playground apparatus only to lose her footing.
It’s Father’s Day again. A commercially driven holiday manufactured to create commerce opportunities or a well deserved day of thanks and praise for everything a Dad contributes to his family throughout the year?
I went to the playground over the weekend with my 3 year old son. Quite frankly I felt tired, irritable and hazy courtesy of the latest flavor of antihistamine potion taken to combat seasonal allergies. My son on the other hand, a veritable explosive comet streaking across the playground universe, descended upon his kid nirvana ready for adventure. He stormed the playground apparatus racing up the steps, dashing across the bridge, then hurtling his agile frame down the slide. Filled with excitement, he playfully implored me to “Catch me Daddy! Tag your it!” Yet I was too consumed with my state of health to chase him so I passed on his request. Uncharacteristically, I allowed my mood to dictate my response.
Attended a baptism party recently. On the surface, one would guess such a gathering would be a low key family event. Little did I suspect the combination of an empty dance floor, balloons, eight or so kids ranging in age from 2 to 10 and a copious amount of sweets could erupt into a cage match of epic proportions.