The Moments - Chapter 10: Sit, Ubu, Sit. Good Daddy.

                It is a sweet honor when my son gives me a compliment or offers a touch of affirmation.  Joey likes it too.  We all do.  It reminds us both of the rarity and power of our bond as father and son.  However, sometimes, he creates one of those combined “aww” and “haha” moments when he does it (see Chapter 9).  Last Thursday morning, when I dropped him off at the home of his babysitter, he did just that.  Since he wasn’t wearing shoes, I picked him up and held him after we got out of the car.  I walked to Monica’s front door and rang the doorbell.  Instantly, we heard the family dog (Opie) barking inside.  Within the several seconds that we stood there waiting for Monica to answer the door, Joey and I had a profound exchange.  He heard the barking, looked at me, and smiled, saying, “I hear Opie.  He’s a good dog.”  To which I replied, “That’s right.  He’s a good dog like Buddy [my girlfriend’s dog], isn’t he?”  Joey’s smile got bigger, and he got a little twinkle in his eye before he responded.  “Uh huh.  Buddy’s a good dog, too,” he replied.  But, with a little pat on my chest, he finished with, “And Daddy is too.”  Haha!  I’m glad that Joey thinks one of his parents is a good dog.

The Moments - Chapter 9: A Day of Thanks

                Sometimes, Joey gives me an “awww” moment that soon, in a weird way, becomes a point of comedy.  It kind of makes the “awww” moment sweeter and the “haha” moments a touch funnier.  In the last few months, his habit of saying “thank you” to just about anything some days has provided such interesting balancing points. 

                One Sunday, a few weeks ago, I got a perfect example.  As we usually do, we went to Krista’s apartment that morning to pick her up for church.  We were going upstairs to kill a few minutes until she was ready and to play with her dog, Buddy.  Krista lives on the third floor of her building.  Sometimes, the climb just feels a little too long.  Joey knows this too.  When we arrived on this particular Sunday, I simply held his hand and we approached the stairs.  Upon the third step, he looked up at me with such a sweet expression on his face, raised his hands toward me, and said, “Daddy, carry me.”  Awww!  I couldn’t resist (and I didn’t want him fussy about the climb).  So, I picked him up and began heading upstairs for both of us.  He leaned his head toward mine as we approached the top landing and said, “Thank you for carry me, Daddy.”  Double awww!  This boy was melting my heart and it wasn’t even 9:30 yet.  It was a precious moment.  But there are a lot of those when Joey is around.  However, this one returned to my memory a few hours later in a funny way.

                That same Sunday, we went to Krista’s brother’s house for the afternoon.  Matt and Stephanie grilled a delicious lunch and we all ate some tasty grub with them and their two kids.  Krista’s little niece, Charlotte (but everyone calls her Charlie), is about 4 months older than Joey.  They hit it off so well.  After we all ate, the two little ones played with Charlie’s toys and, most of the time, were too calm and quiet to even sound like a pair of 2-year-olds playing.  It was great!  When Joey and Krista and I were about to leave, the kids put Charlie’s toys away and were so nice to each other.  As we were standing in the living room about to depart, Krista’s brother asked Charlie, “Will you give Joey a high five?”  She did, and Joey quickly said in that same sweet voice I had heard that morning on the stairs, “Thank you for give me high five.”  Awww!  Wait...  He thanks people for giving him a high five too?  Is that sweet, cute, funny, or a combination of all three?  Ok, we’ll go with it as a combo.  It was cute hearing him say it to a little girl.  But, if he uses the term “thank you” that randomly, maybe I need to reevaluate his level of appreciation for my carrying him up the stairs at Krista’s apartment (surely my boy wasn’t playing me!?).  Who cares!  I’d rather see a kid (especially mine) express appreciation too much than not at all.  People at all ages are painfully out of the habit.  This is one of those times when “the moments” make me smile, make me laugh, and (as always) make me proud of my little man.

                Regardless of what your child thanks you or anyone else for (even if it doesn’t seem to make sense), encourage and appreciate them appreciating others.  And, once in a while, thank your kid for being awesome.  (Disclaimer:  Your kid isn’t as awesome as my kid, but appreciate them anyway.  It’s ok.)