We are now a family of six.
A lady called the office last Monday to place a classified ad for two adult dogs needing a home immediately due to an unexpected and sad life change. Pam took the call and told me about it soon after she got off the phone.
I didn’t think much of it at the time. For the next several days, however, the conversation continued and she even enlisted the kids in her grand scheme of rescuing these dogs, which are Havanese breed and were free to a good home. By Thursday evening, while Beckett and I were at soccer, Pam and Carson had visited the dogs and were filling my phone up with text photos.
By Saturday afternoon, the dogs were living with us. Over the last week, everyone has been adjusting.
It’s been over a year since we have had a dog in the house and for many years we had two dogs, who died a couple years apart from old age. That probably explains why we were crazy enough and willing to take two dogs at one time.
The owner was adamant on trying to find one home for her dogs. Since we are suckers for an adoption and rescue story, we welcomed them. It all started with that fateful call by the woman to the office.
I would be lying if I said the transition has been an easy one. The dogs have been accustomed to a certain way of life for five years. It’s natural for there to be some adjustments. The same can be said for the humans in the house as well.
Pam and Carson have bonded the fastest with the dogs. It’s been especially sweet to watch Carson keeping up his end of the bargain to help with the dogs. He feeds them, takes them for walks in the backyard and loves on them whenever they will let him. As far as Beckett goes, he is not sure of them still. They are small dogs and bark a lot. He’s been slow to warm up to them, but it’s coming.
In all reality, the adjustment is going about as expected. One of the dogs even lets me pet him now, while the female continues to play hard to get. She’s all about Pam and keeps me giving me dirty looks.
I’m sure that will change eventually.
x
Sometimes there’s a cost for pushing independence.
I have a penchant for doing things for my kids that they should be doing for themselves. It could be as a simple as making their beds, turning lights off behind them, cleaning their faces and helping them with their seatbelts. I’m working on making them do more on their own.
For example, one afternoon after school and work Beckett wanted to play basketball in the neighborhood. I told him he couldn’t until he changed out of his school uniform. “I know,” a phrase I’m not a fan of, was his response. It seemed to take him a lot longer than it should have so I yelled upstairs to see if he needed any help. He said he didn’t.
I got busy with something else and didn’t see him leave the house. He told me was heading out and I told him how long he had before dinner and shower.
When the time came to bring him home, I walked down the street and got baited into a quick game, but not before marveling over Beckett’s outfit he picked out for himself. He was wearing some bright blue shorts that haven’t fit him in probably three years (imagine Larry Bird’s tight and skimpy shorts from the mid-80s) with a fluorescent T-shirt that was two sizes too big. The end result being a shirt length that went well beyond his tiny shorts, no socks and flip flops.
Later, when I was in his room, I asked him where his school clothes ended up. They were strewn about the room with his shirt on his bed, one sock across the room from the other and his shorts balled up near his hamper in an obvious missed shot attempt. As far as the shoes for school the next morning, we still haven’t recovered those yet.
The cost of independence I guess.
x
Beckett turns 10 tomorrow.
For his birthday, he wanted a motorcycle. We tweaked that a bit and found a realistic and safer two-wheeled compromise.
With kid birthdays, it’s always a time to take stock and scratch the head over where the time has gone. With him turning a decade old, that’s especially the case.
I like to think of Beckett as pretty much the typical boy. He makes us incredibly proud and happy with his achievements in life and his kind ways, while also driving us crazy sometimes with his antics.
He’s an impulsive boy with an infectious personality. That’s a wonderful thing in some regards and it can also land him in hot water at other times. He also has a caring heart and an incredible wit, both of which are almost always on display.
He’s no angel and be challenging to parent, resulting in a roller coaster ride for his parents, but I wouldn’t want him any other way.
In all actuality, when I thought of being a father when I was younger, he’s exactly the son I aspired to have. He’s everything I could ever want in a child and raising him the last 10 years has been the experience of a lifetime.
