Things My Kids Teach Me and Little Moments

Yesterday was one heck of a busy day. Besides our usual great playdate (UGP), I had to shovel ten metric tons of snow, not to mention fill the wood box, rake the roof, and make our vegan dinner, which BTW is a new family favorite - African Ground Nut Stew. A great way to eat cabbage, which always seems to get rejected in our house. I figured we needed a good vegan stretch to compensate for all that kielbasa we at yesterday.

Anyway, in typical dad fashion, by the time dinner rolled around, I was stressed out and being a little curt with the kids, something I regret to no end but in the heat of the moment can't seem to suppress. At some point as I was getting dinner together and cleaning up the kitchen so my wife wouldn't tear me a new one, A came to the door and asked me to help them outside. They had been working tirelessly to dig caves in the snowbanks, which for the record are massive, and had hit ice and needed some help.

My response? "No, I'm busy." Just for the record, my snow clothes were soaking wet from our earlier UGP. End of discussion. She was disappointed and went back to their hard work, and as I chopped veggies and cooked the rice, I felt incredibly guilty for not only being so short with her, but for passing up a moment to help them out in what was a noble endeavor-building something with their hands. And the truth of the matter was, they were working very hard and their request was legit.

Now I know I've been spouting off on how it's good for kids to work on their own and feel the grandeur of achievement, but at some point, a parent has gotta lighten up and lend a helping hand. There are no universal truths, you really have to evaluate each situation as it comes up, and whenever possible, spend some true quality time with your kids.

SO, I cranked through the meal prep (the beauty of this dish is that it can be served in one bowl, thus making cleanup that much easier), got it simmering on low, put all my wet and cold snow clothes back on, and rushed out there. I felt a rush of relief when I saw they were still working on their cave, and I broke out my shovel and helped them out.

And you know what? It was a lot of fun. Sometimes my kids really teach me that things (most things) are not such a big deal, at least not big enough to stress out over and make everyone else miserable, and it's always a good time to spend quality time working hard on something. Even if dinner was late, which it wasn't, big deal. But more importantly is to lighten up and celebrate each moment with your family, because these are the memories that you'll share with them forever.

Just wanted to mention that they did a great job on their tunnels and worked so hard shoveling all that snow. Sure, I was exhausted, but we had fun, and when that's going on, somehow the fatigue is never that bad.

Had a little moment the other night as well. My wife was reading stories to N and her foot was hanging over the bed. I whispered to A to tickle them and she did and got a great response. She was so giddy, she couldn't stop giggling, and she gave me a high-five as we shared in a moment. It's the little things in life. If you can appreciate them, then you're doing okay.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Hard Work Warms My Heart and Getting Out

It was pretty amazing how much snow came down yesterday. It was unrelenting, and my first impulse was to be a wimp and stay in for the long haul. But we had CB over, and together with the kids, they were itching to get outside and go skating. So I had to be a man and motivate, and let me tell you, it was quite the undertaking. Having to haul all those skates and all those hockey sticks, not to mention several shovels to clear the snow on the ice, made for a serious logistical nightmare. It's great having the truck in this regard because you just toss everything in the back.

I was actually surprised that nobody was out on the ice. Sure, it was almost a white out, but it's a snow day, a day off from the rigors of academic life, and it was beautiful outside. Still, no kids. Which worked in our favor because we had the ice all to ourselves. In fact, when we got there and were greeted with an absence of other bodies, there was a resounding cheer inside the car.

And, of course ,the rink was buried in snow. It seemed like a foot of the white stuff, and while it was light and fluffy, when it gets that thick it's a bear to clear the ice because it accumulates and gets heavy. But you wanna know what was really cool? A, N, and C all grabbed a shovel and set about helping me clear the ice. In fact, nobody put their skates on for the first twenty minutes, and they all worked so hard at getting the ice in shape to skate. It was heartwarming, I loved that they (unprompted, mind you) were so willing to work so hard.

Best of all, because there was nobody out there, we got to play our favorite game, Polar Bears and Penguins, which happens to require a fair amount of setup in terms of shoveling snow, but well worth the time and effort. We ended up skating on the ice for hours, and by the end, not only were we soaked, but my hair was frozen solid with snow. At some point I said we had to get home because I had to make dinner, but the kids wanted to play some more.

So while I dug out the truck and warmed it up, they played on the massive snow mound in the rec center parking lot. What a great day. We came home, had hot chocolate with marshmallows (they always ask for marshmallows, which for the record I loathe, and then they don't eat them) and hung out by the stove. The end of a great day.

BTW, we fell off the vegan bandwagon and had kielbasa for dinner. It was strange eating so much meat, but I found myself devouring it. A nice little treat, actually.

In the end, the kids forced me to get out and deal with it. I did have some concerns about getting stuck in the snow, it was that bad, and our drive hadn't been plowed yet, but the truck can handle pretty much anything. And because of it, we had a great day.

Besides, if it's just A&N, it's not a problem, but when they have a friend over, I feel obligated to entertain (the hovering, helicopter parent in me), and worry if they get bored. I know, stupid of me. I figure the last resort is to pop in video, but try to avoid it at all costs. The kids are good about playing games or just clowning around, and for the most part, we avoid DVDs altogether, but getting outside is indeed the best scenario. Meals are also a good way to pass an hour, especially if you get them involved.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.