I gave up having personal space around seven years ago when
my oldest was born. It’s to be
expected. And for my wife it’s even
worse. Our three-year-old might as well
be an accessory for her, like a bracelet or hand bag. He’s always on her like a shirt two sizes too
small. And there’s no such thing as
locking the bathroom door anymore. Add
to the two little boys our two dogs and walking from one room to the next
resembles a zombie hoard from The Walking Dead.
 |
| Walking Dead, Idiot Box Productions. AMC Studios |
With me though it’s easy to forget at times. I’m at about 6’2”. My little one stands somewhere sub-three
feet. Willem can be so loud, so
garrulous. But he can also be quiet. Especially when I leave a room. If not vigilant I can squish him almost every
time. He tends to walk in front of
me. And nearly always on the side
nearest a wall, couch, book shelf, door frame, whatever. I am training myself to take turns wide. Yes, it’s further distance and takes slightly
longer. But it beats picking up a 40-pound
crying boy and apologizing for running him over. I’m getting better but still run him into the
wall too often. Hell, I still do that
with his older brother too.
I guess that’s the life of a parent. Being mindful of the smallest. Altering what should be basic things into a quest
for utter mindfulness of those that seem utterly mindless at times. Something
as simple as walking the aisles of a grocery store can be littered with ever-shifting
obstacles. You gotta always watch out
for the kids. Not just with actions, but
with words too.
I have a dry sense of humor.
I can be a little dark, self-deprecating and sarcastic. Kids, especially
the younger variety, are literal. Like
Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Personally, I get
frustrated when I must explain things, even when I know my son doesn’t
understand idioms and metaphors. That’s
another thing I must work on. My
patience.
To avoid running over our kids, we need to take it slow and
maybe even take the long way. Keep your
head on a swivel (and maybe even explain what that means to them). Observe,
observe, observe. We can’t expect our
kids to always tell us when they are confused.
We gotta know when they’re confused.
You grew up once too, try to look at it from their perspective. Be aware of where you are, whey they are, and
where you all are going. And yes, take
those turns wide.
###
Comments
Post a Comment