We have a summer vacation hangover. Is there such a thing? We crammed what felt like two summers of activities into two and half weeks. On the eve of his first week in a new job, we decided to set the alarm for the first time in a very long time. We haven't been sleeping in, exactly, but the go, go, go had finally caught up with us. I also thought out loud about starting the day with a walk, maybe we could make a special breakfast, do this, do that, blah blah blah. All of this was met with silence until Big Man finally said, "Why don't we just get up?"
And there it is folks....the yin and yang in action, except in this moment, he was the bubble-burster, the rain on my parade, the REALIST. A blatant switcheroo in roles already firmly established.
"I think I will make a zip-line! Would you like a hot tub? All we need is a cattle tank! I'd like to be a bee keeper! If we get enough bees, I can claim it as a working farm for some tax write-offs! I think we can add eight more fruit trees and two more beds of perennials so there will be less grass to mow. Guinea fowl are low maintenance, plus they eat bugs. They can wander in the garden...whadya think? Maybe the neighbors could check in on them! I'm just gonna haul this wood from here to there and see if I can't build a...."
Frequently, these musings are met with a raised brow (mine), a skeptical tilt of the head (again, mine) and are peppered with questions (from me) about the realities (general safety, cost, and longevity of said project) and yet, the list goes on for the plans Big Man has. We have no fewer than six books devoted to FUN projects for dads who want to do-it-themselves thereby clearly extolling what a FUN a dad he is. I, on the other hand, feel like this fact has already been firmly established.
Hey Big Man! You CAN do it yourself! YOU already have! Some things have been more successful (cider press) than others (zip line), but YOU are fun PERSONIFIED! No one is more fun than YOU!
Me? I just wanted to take a walk and get a fresh start to our day with a healthy breakfast and some quality time together.
Another difference, and I am not sure whether this is gender or person specific, is that I will admit the error of my ways. In print, I will declare that he was right and I was wrong. The alarm went off, he got up, and I followed .....thirty minutes later. I DID wake up in time to say good-bye.
Oh well.
I walked alone and sipped coffee alone as he cruised off to a new place, no doubt conjuring up his next adventure. I am sure I will have something to say about whatever it may be. I am sure whatever I say will be encouraging, supportive, and will carry the feeling of the wet blanket I am oh so comfortable wearing.
And there it is folks....the yin and yang in action, except in this moment, he was the bubble-burster, the rain on my parade, the REALIST. A blatant switcheroo in roles already firmly established.
"I think I will make a zip-line! Would you like a hot tub? All we need is a cattle tank! I'd like to be a bee keeper! If we get enough bees, I can claim it as a working farm for some tax write-offs! I think we can add eight more fruit trees and two more beds of perennials so there will be less grass to mow. Guinea fowl are low maintenance, plus they eat bugs. They can wander in the garden...whadya think? Maybe the neighbors could check in on them! I'm just gonna haul this wood from here to there and see if I can't build a...."
Frequently, these musings are met with a raised brow (mine), a skeptical tilt of the head (again, mine) and are peppered with questions (from me) about the realities (general safety, cost, and longevity of said project) and yet, the list goes on for the plans Big Man has. We have no fewer than six books devoted to FUN projects for dads who want to do-it-themselves thereby clearly extolling what a FUN a dad he is. I, on the other hand, feel like this fact has already been firmly established.
Hey Big Man! You CAN do it yourself! YOU already have! Some things have been more successful (cider press) than others (zip line), but YOU are fun PERSONIFIED! No one is more fun than YOU!
Me? I just wanted to take a walk and get a fresh start to our day with a healthy breakfast and some quality time together.
Another difference, and I am not sure whether this is gender or person specific, is that I will admit the error of my ways. In print, I will declare that he was right and I was wrong. The alarm went off, he got up, and I followed .....thirty minutes later. I DID wake up in time to say good-bye.
Oh well.
I walked alone and sipped coffee alone as he cruised off to a new place, no doubt conjuring up his next adventure. I am sure I will have something to say about whatever it may be. I am sure whatever I say will be encouraging, supportive, and will carry the feeling of the wet blanket I am oh so comfortable wearing.
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