As I climb out of bed in the dark and traipse off to the kitchen
to put on the coffee, the house is quiet and I realise this is what it's going
to be like in a few more years.
image courtesy of www.flickr.com and Terry Trevithick
It's just me and the beloved.
Oh, and that idiot dog who gets up to go to the toilet more times that an incontinent grandparent.
Oh, and that idiot dog who gets up to go to the toilet more times that an incontinent grandparent.
I'm OK with that , I married her because
quite frankly we never stop chatting and we have always discussed what it will
be like when we retire , what we will do, where we will go - because I think that as parents
we are going find it difficult staying
relevant as the kids get older.
At least until they need to move back home because they are
building a house or renovating and have nowhere to live. (At which point I will
have to start wearing pants again…..)
So do they still need me ?
Of course they do - who else is going to pay for the 1.2 kg of Weet bix and 15 litres of milk they go through each week. Not to mention the fact that if I wasn't around
the would run out of clean plates and cutlery in the first day. And don't even start on the clothes portion of their lives.
I'm not saying that I'm completely irrelevant
I'm just saying that there’s a new phase
coming and I want to be ready (You know the Beloved, she'll want a backup plan for the back up plan) because emotionally it's going to be tough.
When I get home each night from work nowadays,
there isn't those two cheeky little grins screaming "daddy's home !" ,
"daddy's home !" and clinging to a leg each as I greet the house, now the only person happy to see me is the dog, and I think that’s because I bring
in the smells of the world with me or at least the vague promise of food.
I remember back when, once I hit 15 my parents were
the people “so lame” and it wasn't until I was a 20 something that I realised I
really do need them and they weren't just some extra furniture that was handy
to crash on whenever I felt like it. And that was when I really started to have a proper relationship with them, you know each side putting in and getting out equally.
We have set about the kids next phase of their
life and are starting to make them independent. We can’t wrap them up in cotton
wool ( otherwise they will make terrible husbands and live with us forever)
they have to learn how to be functioning members of planet earth. We know this.
But it’s happening just so damm fast. They cab catch trams , make lunch and even breakfast. ( none of this gets done without intimidation effort and prompting and guiding.) But anyway they seem to be grasping some concepts.
So I guess for the time being I'll just focus on keeping my expectations low and focus on being there when they need me.
So I guess for the time being I'll just focus on keeping my expectations low and focus on being there when they need me.
I was at a Rugby match to watch the Eldest and I swear to you the u/15’s team were still finishing shaving whilst getting out of the
cars they had driven to the ground – They look like grown men.
image courtesy of www.albany.edu
I point out to the Beloved that this what we have to look forward
to and we share a little wistful glance at our youngest son playing under a tree.
While the rest of the world sees a boy poking a dead pigeon with a stick to see what will happen - we see a little boy still curious about the world.
While the rest of the world sees a boy poking a dead pigeon with a stick to see what will happen - we see a little boy still curious about the world.
Tomorrow morning he can have 3 Weet Bix instead of the 6 he
normally has, maybe that will slow things down a bit……..
