Adventures of Fatherhood

Adventures of Fatherhood
Two A Green

There is something to be said for a kids’ uniquely myopic perspective.

I actually wish I could share that simplicity sometimes.

It was on full display the other night while talking about the fact the wet weather cancelled Beckett’s soccer practice and would probably do the same to his weekend game.

He didn’t take it well at all and threw a little fit that had me thinking he was 3 years old again. While Beckett talked incessantly about the injustice and unfairness of it all, Carson was tapping on my shoulder and signing “swimming” with hunched shoulders. All he was thinking about was his swimming lesson on Saturday in Ocean Pines.

Yes, their life sure is simple.

However, Beckett showed a little sense of perspective in the whole thing after a while and started asking questions about the storm with the name Joaquin.

He summed up his lack of concern with a glass half-full statement, saying, “well at least it’s not a tsunami, that would destroy our house.”

After an attempt to clear him up a little on the facts, I decided this was one of those times when I needed to redirect and just move on. We then started talking about what color they would prefer our house be painted. Green seemed to be the favorite because of our last name, of course.

It’s a look you don’t want to see from your kids at certain times, but over the last few weeks I feel like I have been getting it all too often.

For whatever reason, eating out gives Beckett the urge to use the bathroom. It happens just about every time we eat at a restaurant and almost always just about when the food arrives. He turns to me and whispers that he has to go to the bathroom, and I typically accuse him of fabricating it so he can be excused from the table and chat up strangers. Eventually, though, he gives me the look that it’s serious business and the time is now.

As much as I don’t like it when nature calls while we are out at a restaurant, it’s even worse when it happens while we are swimming in the pool or the ocean. That happens all too often as well.

Once this summer, Beckett had to go so bad while we were swimming in the ocean he couldn’t walk back to our friends’ condo without being carried. Considering he’s 60-plus pounds and was sandy and wet, it was a challenge for me that was only made worse by his persistent complaints over holding him too tight in the stomach area could be dangerous.

Not to be left out of is Carson, who has a decent streak going of late. Whenever we are home after work and school, we hit the pool, despite the fact it’s getting chilly these days, thanks to the cool nights. The kids don’t care how cold it is and it’s a good thing for their parents because it tires them out. Plus, it’s so much better than electronics.

For the last couple weeks, Carson has given me the look while in the pool that he needs to go. Unfortunately, that’s not a simple matter because Beckett doesn’t want to get out. When made to, he takes out his frustrations on his little brother, who he feels ruined his fun or at least caused a delay.

By the time Carson is done and Beckett, while standing over him in the bathroom, has run out of all the insults he can spew at him for disrupting his fun, it’s back to the pool. That is until they start letting me know they are hungry and we need to get out again.

There is something so special about being read to by your child.

It’s so exciting to watch as your kid’s reading improves and vocabulary expands. Every night I’m amazed at the words Beckett, 7, knows or can sound out. It’s now to the point I can just hang out with him while he reads a book to me. The only time he usually requires help is with names of places or people.

Our current book is a “big boy book” titled “Who Is Walt Disney?” He seems especially interested in him after visiting Disney World in March. It’s been fun to watch as he gets into various biographies of leading individuals in sports, history and entertainment. That definitely seems to be his favorite genre at this point.

I like this new development particularly because I get to sit back or lie in his bed with him and listen as he reads to me instead of falling asleep while reading to him — that was a nightly occurrence for months a year or so ago. That’s only happened once since school started, and he gave me a rib shot to let me know it was rude to fall asleep in the middle of the story.