Adventures Of Fatherhood – January 4, 2019

Adventures Of Fatherhood – January 4, 2019

The last two weeks have been a blur.

Since the third week of December, I have basically spent each day reminding myself what day it is in the week because it has never felt like the day it should be.

The main difference with this year’s Christmas and New Year’s weeks was the timing of the holidays. With Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on a Tuesday, Wednesdays felt like Sundays and Sundays felt like Fridays. I’m thinking I’m not alone with feeling all sorts of mixed up since school let out for break.

In my house, I know I was not the only one confused. Carson’s jaw literally dropped Wednesday morning when I brought out his bookbag. Despite being told repeatedly when he would be going back to school, I don’t think it sunk in until we were actually heading out the door that first morning back. He wasn’t thrilled to be heading to school, but I’m quite sure he had plenty of company with that thought after 11 days off.

There were several times over break Beckett had no idea what day it was. Because he likes to debate and argue minute points, he would challenge me each morning on what day of the week it was. One morning he tried to argue there were more days in between Christmas and New Year’s than I realized. After a long and winding debate, his major point, which turned into a beef, was more days were needed in between so he could be out of school longer.

Both our boys did a lot of relaxing over their break. They seemed to need to recharge. As a matter of fact, when it was time to go back to school, I think they had been relaxing too much because they were obviously struggling getting back into the groove. Before that drama, however, there was Christmas and New Year’s to enjoy.

Christmastime is certainly changing around our house. At 10 and 9 years old, respectively, both boys enjoy it, but they are much more reserved these days on Christmas morning than in the past.

Both kids still get excited about the magic of Christmas and Santa arriving, but there is no question it’s different and they are changing. It’s to be expected. It’s a bit sad to see I must admit, though.

On Christmas morning, Carson was first out of bed. He’s always up before Beckett, who has found the joy in sleeping over the last year. Unlike most mornings, getting Beckett out of bed on Christmas morning was not a monumental task, confirming there is still that childhood excitement within him.

Once the gifts were opened and the mayhem of flying wrapping paper, screams of joy and calls from us to slow down had subsided, the boys went their separate ways to play with their most cherished new arrivals.

The favorite gifts of the year for the kids were surprises to me.

Beckett’s top gift seemed to be his new Ravens jersey featuring rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson. He wore on and off the entire break and wanted to wear it under his school uniform the first day back. He’s truly on the bandwagon and all about football these days. He’s been begging us to let him try football this summer because he really enjoys watching and playing it.

For Carson, the gift that has him still excited is his new Fitbit. Since he loves numbers, he’s been fascinated by monitoring his steps. For a few days, he only thought he could see his activity level on his wrist. When I showed him the app, featuring his history of activity and other data, he was thrilled. He enjoys tracking his steps against mine and essentially anyone else of like mindset.

After a couple hours, we joined our neighborhood in a game of kickball, where the goal is to leave as you came (as in not get injured) and take an hour break to get some fresh air. It’s welcomed after a long night in Santa’s workshop.

By the time New Year’s rolled around, we were ready to get away from the house for a couple days. Therefore, we hit up our favorite short road trip destination, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, with family. During the holidays, Busch Gardens holds Christmas Town, which involves the amusement park getting dressed up with lights and traditional decorations, themed shows and, of course, roller coasters.

This trip was made memorable by the fact Carson was bitten by the roller coaster bug. That means we all four love roller coasters and the days of Pam and I switching on and off rides with Beckett are behind us.

New Year’s Eve was never a huge deal for me, although it truly changes once you have kids. Therefore, the last couple New Year’s Eves we have hit the road for a little getaway. It’s no longer about being with hundreds of other people out and about ringing in the new year and waking up the next morning feeling the consequences of the late night. Instead, it was a full day of walking around Busch Gardens, taking in Christmas shows, eating too much, spending time with our family and riding roller coasters.

After eight hours at the park, we went swimming in the hotel pool. Carson was asleep by 10. Pam, Beckett and me watched the ball drop and were down and out soon after.

It was far from a ruckus New Year’s celebration. It was just the way I like it.

About The Author: Steven Green

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The writer has been with The Dispatch in various capacities since 1995, including serving as editor and publisher since 2004. His previous titles were managing editor, staff writer, sports editor, sales account manager and copy editor. Growing up in Salisbury before moving to Berlin, Green graduated from Worcester Preparatory School in 1993 and graduated from Loyola University Baltimore in 1997 with degrees in Communications (journalism concentration) and Political Science.