Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

Daddy, I Kick You In The Face Right Now?

July 16, 2013 at 10:34 pm , by 

2 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

I suppose it would sound weird to describe to anyone else our shared understanding on how you and I play together, when it comes to your toys.

Basically, you always want me to lay down on the floor near you as you push your monster trucks over less fortunate Hot Wheels.

But, you do not want me to actually touch any of your cars and actually play with you.

You want me there, but not officially involved.

So I honor your style. I just lay there on the floor while you play. From time to time, I help you locate whichever random car in your toy box you can’t seem to find at the moment.

While I honestly would prefer to get involved in your plot lines of play time, I have to admit it’s nice to be able to just lay there lazily on a Saturday morning like that.

Granted, I have to keep my eyes open because sometimes you will just charge towards me with a crazy smile on your face; therefore initiating a wrestling match.

Last weekend, you caught me off guard with a very sincere question:

“Daddy, I kick you in the face right now?”

It was hard not to laugh, but I could see you were truly unsure of the answer.

“No, Son. We don’t kick each other in the face. There’s a difference between playing and hurting. We can’t kick each other in the face, but we can’t definitely wrestle.”

I’m empathizing with you, though. It’s got to be confusing, trying to figure out what is playing and what is hurting.

All I can say is, trial and error. But yeah, it’s always a good idea to ask me first when you’re unsure about which is which.

When it comes to kicking me in the face, I’m especially glad you asked first!

 

Love,

Daddy

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A Farewell To (Mommy and Daddy’s) Arms

July 16, 2013 at 12:00 am , by 

2 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

As I look through the pictures from our Louisville Zoo trip on my Facebook page, I realize how challenging it is to find a picture of you with Mommy and/or me where one of us isn’t holding you.

(See the album “Louisville Zoo Road Trip Summer 2013.”)

Son, you’re more than half my height now. You don’t need me to hold you.

However, I recognize that’s the #1 way you show physical affection with people.

So it’s never been easy (or felt natural or right) for Mommy or me to refuse to hold you when you ask us to; which is pretty much anytime we’re in public, as well as when we are putting you to bed.

But now, I think the time has come.

You’re pushing 3 years old now. More importantly, Mommy is the one who holds you most.

She’s definitely strong, but you’re not a light kid, and I know that holding you all the time can’t be good for her back.

It’s a struggle as your parents to deny you the type of physical affection you crave, when we feel like we hardly ever get to see you anyway.

In our version of 2013, Mommy and I both have to work full-time; even though we’re debt-free now.

I’m taking it upon myself to transition you into you holding our hands and walking, and making up for the lack of closer physical contact in other ways.

Yesterday morning, I tried our new way of doing things.

“Jack, this morning when we go into school, you’re going to walk and hold Daddy’s hand.”

Yeah, it didn’t go well.

It was even worse when I came to pick you up at the end of the day.

You were so happy to see me, but then had a breakdown all the way out the building into the car.

And I imagine it will be that way for the rest of this week, at least.

I wonder in what new ways you will begin showing affection to Mommy and me as we transition out of holding you.

As you get used to walking in public and holding my hand everyday going to and from school, my hope is that it becomes more normal for you to let Mommy do the same.

After all, we were at the Louisville Zoo for nearly 6 hours and Mommy was the one carrying you around most of the time.

So here’s to a new transition in our lives. Oh yeah… we still need to work on that whole “potty training” thing too…

 

Love,

Daddy

 

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We’re (Not) Walking In The Middle Of The Racetrack…

July 14, 2013 at 11:21 pm , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

Somehow despite living in the South my whole life, including the states of Alabama, Virginia, Florida, and Tennessee, it wasn’t until this weekend that I went to my very first car race.

It was your first time to a race, too; at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

I think it’s funny that Mommy, who is from Sacramento, has been to more races than she can count.

So I guess I should say, Mommy, the California girl, introduced us Southern boys to our first real car race.

Did you love it? Of course you did!

You were mesmerized.

We kept “betting” on the underdog and always lost.

“Ah, Daddy’s yellow car came in at 2nd to last,” I explained to you.

Sure, you loved seeing the fast cars whiz by, but honestly, you were most excited by the “crashes.”

By crashes, I mean… when a car would get bumped off the track, into the green.

Planning a Saturday afternoon event with you is always tricky, because typically when we’ve got a fun special thing like a race coming up, you have a hard time falling asleep for your afternoon nap.

If you don’t take your nap, you’re not in the best of moods…

Well, this time around, you ended up falling asleep on the way there, meaning that I stole a few of your Go Go Squeez applesauce pouches as Mommy and I let you sleep in the car, while we sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes.

Once you had woken up and we had entered the stadium, you survived about an hour and a half sitting in the bleachers before you started getting antsy, prompting the leave to go back home.

My favorite part of our family racing event was actually as we were walking back to our car, trying to find our Honda Accord among countless look-a-likes.

“Those cars crash!” you exclaimed.

Mommy helped me understand why you were so excited:

“I think Jack thinks we’re walking on the racetrack right now, and that all these cars parked so closely together are actually race cars that crashed into each other in the middle of the race.”

While I would like to think of us being an adventurous family, we’re not that adventurous…

Though I’m sure you wouldn’t mind getting a closer view of those “crashing” race cars.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

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Donkey Stickers And A Spatula… Because That’s Normal

July 13, 2013 at 3:09 pm , by 

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

With A Toddler, Everyday Is A Musical!

July 12, 2013 at 10:48 pm , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

I grew up never really “getting” the concept of musicals.

The fact that all the people in each scene just happen to know the lyrics and melody of the same song about the event happening in real time, not questioning where the musical accompaniment is coming from…

Not to mention, the fact they typically never acknowledge, after finishing the song, that they indeed just sang a song.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons that I loveThe Lorax movie so much: It opens with a hilarious musical number that not only satirizes the stereotypical overindulgent American lifestyle, but it also mocks musicals themselves.

I love how at the end of the song I’m referring to, “Thneedville Song,” that the O’Hare delivery guy sort of gets stuck after finishing the final note of the song and has to be escorted away by two other men.

“What happened to that man?” you recently asked after seeing that part.

So, yes, I’ve always perceived musicals as impractical, unrealistic, and just plain absurd.

Until now…

Because this is what I know as normal: All throughout the day, you’re either A) making up a song about what you see around you or B) singing a pre-existing song that relates to what you see around you.

Here’s a perfect example:

I love the hilarious twist ending of this video when it is revealed that you are serenading a toy lizard in a plastic boat.

For me, it’s equal amounts precious and hilarious.

Tonight as I was tucking you in for bed, you made a special request, “Daddy, sing “Gorillas Are Angry.’”

Knowing that you were asking me to make up a new song on the spot about the first random thought that came to your mind, I just went with it, singing, “Gorillas are angry, gorillas are angry…”.

Your response was perfect:

“I don’t know that song, Daddy.”

Yeah, that makes two of us!

 

Love,

Daddy