Saturday, July 26, 2014

Monday, July 14, 2014

Questions

Things my 4 year old son wants to know, in no particular order:

"Is there only one God?"
"Can we eat dessert first?"
"Why do we die?"
"Why don't you pee standing up, mommy?"
"Did you bring candy?"
"Is lightning going to hit our other tree?"


The big game

I had said ahead of time that I wanted to be able to watch the World Cup final, uninterrupted...but it turns out the kids weren't otherwise engaged, and the other grown-ups were busy, so they ended up with me.

Here's how to make the best of things (with kids) when you really wanted to be alone. You involve them, with enthusiasm! I prepared my 4 year old, telling him we would be watching the big game!

Kids get right into the spirit of things, so he quickly chose his team: "the blue ones! I love them!" He fetched snacks for all, included everyone's favorite drink: 2% milk for little sis, soy milk for him, ginger ale for mommy.

He gathered together all our assorted soccer balls, including the small replica FIFA World Cup ball I'd bought. He set up a net, and then settled in to watch.

The 2 year old woke up from her nap, found us, and jumped on the bandwagon. Still sleepy, she selected and clutched a soccer ball to her, and started in on the snacks.

It was nice while it lasted, but kids don't appreciate a stalemate in which there aren't a lot of replays of goals bring scored. The 4 year old's attention lasted into the second half. The 2 year old enjoyed the extra snuggling time on the couch but grew restless by the end.

And so, I did get to see the whole game, into the extra time, not exactly as planned, but life unfolds just as it should on a Sunday afternoon. A few distractions, a few tweets, but then something momentous, the thing that changes everything from the meausured and the practiced to the epiphany, the fulfillment, the culmination of things, light streaming through the clouds, lightning striking, the ball crossing the invisible line into the net's embrace.

I will tell my kids in four years that they did watch the big game in 2014.