Fatherhood

The tractor ... we can always climb on, but not when it is turned on ... that would be scary. The car ... steering and moving all the buttons and levers ... nothing scary here. The big-wheel ... only the original; the new ones are cool, but only the original is the best. Swedish-Fish ... how many can we shove in at one time ... The broom ... so we can sweep up the mess we just made. The computer ... how many times has he turned this one off while I was working on something?

Last night was a marathon; playing with his cousins ... running around the house, chasing and getting chased. He was also carried on shoulders, riding the big-wheel, and being pushed or pulled in the plastic red wagon ... although, not necessarily all at once. At one point, Patrick came upon Sylas playing with a jet plane toy ... he was pulling it back and letting it run forward across the room. Patrick had the presence of mind to snatch the plane (Sylas missed by inches) and run away. He headed straight for Chris (the oldest cousin) and handed the plane off which then became a good game of keep-away. Toward the end, Chris dropped to the floor and got mobbed by Patrick and Sylas ... with laughter all around. Patrick slept well last night ... as I believe all of them did! Watching them play was so much more fun ... I believe more fun than any other children I have watched in the past ... mostly because my son was so involved.

As a child (and as most boys), I loved playing with Hot Wheels. Patrick loves to ride his cousin's Hot Wheels trike ... a lot like the Big Wheels I used to use, except this one has buttons that make motorcycle sounds and plays music. A few weeks ago, he got to play with some of his cousin's Hot Wheels cars ... much to his cousin's consternation. I made an effort to purchase some cars for Patrick to minimize this conflict. I have made an effort to locate Mustangs ... there are more out there than I ever remember. He loves them. We push the cars back and forth across the room for hours. These same cars are stashed all through the house and I am waiting for the day when I find one underfoot. Last night, Patrick grabbed on of his cars and came over to me after about thirty minutes of rolling the car. He backed up to me and sat in my lap. Looking up into my face, he smiled and handed the car to me. I knew what he expected ... this is a relatively new game for us. I t...