Posts

An Unexpected Wish

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Wish

I have never really expected a lot from my kids. They are only 4 and 2, respectively, and they still have a lifetime of things to learn. As it turns out, I have been sorely underestimating the emotional capacity of their young minds. My son taught me this lesson on a recent trip to the local mall.

It was as ordinary a day as they come. We made a stop at the mall to pick up some things we probably didn’t need and at some point my son and I broke off to go do some guy stuff. The mall had set up an awesome (and free) Easter egg hunt in one of the empty stores. As an aside, this mall has always struggled to fill all the stores, so the Easter egg hunt was greatly appreciated.

Once the final egg was found, my son calmly counted his loot as we moved on to his favourite spot in the mall. The wishing fountain. After all, this is the place where you can make all your wildest dreams come true and all for the low, low price of a quarter and a wish. I prepped him for the big throw by giving him some examples of wishes that ran the gamut from “more sunny days” to “new toys” but he wasn’t having any of that nonsense. No, my tiny little man looked up at me and then decided to drop this bit of awesomeness before launching his coin:

“I wish that I love my sister forever”

I know, right? I just about melted through the floor when he said it. The real kicker was that I could see by the look in his eyes, that he truly meant it. There was no reason for him to play up to the crowd because, well, there was no crowd. I slowly knelt down, gave him a huge hug and told him how proud I was of him. I hope that he could see by the look in my eyes, how much I truly meant that.

Gangnam Style Has Taken Over My Toddlers

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Gangnam Style

I have never been annoyed by the Gangnam Style song, even though it has been on YouTube for about 7 months and has been redone and parodied thousands of times over. This is probably a good thing considering the fact that my children have recently developed an unhealthy obsession with singing and performing all of the dance moves.

It’s a weird phenomenon to see their reaction when the song starts playing. It doesn’t matter what they happen to be doing at that exact moment, they stop and immediately start dancing. Oddly enough, the same thing happens to me…

Anyway, my son beat me at Candy Land last night and instead of the customary “Good Game” handshake we have taught him, he burst into his Gangnam Style routine, which made me forgive his poor sportsmanship. I figured I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a parent if I had not taped a little bit of his Gangnam rendition, you know, for later wedding use. Enjoy!

Cheers!

I’m Crafty and I Know It; Also, When Glue Guns Attack

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There I sat with my son, staring at a pile of faux cotton, googly eyes, a marker and a glue gun; thinking, “What am I supposed to do with all this stuff?” I mean, sure, I’ve done crafty things before but nothing of this magnitude or importance. I had no idea how big this 100th Day of School thing was until I checked Pinterest for ideas. Yeah, that’s right, I said Pinterest, so what?! (PS – I even have my own account and everything…)

Anyway, as it turns out, people take this 100 Day thing very seriously! Some maybe even too seriously, but you didn’t hear that from me. We had picked out the idea for the monster shirt a few weeks prior and armed ourselves with the necessary tools to complete the job. If I’m being completely honest, although I didn’t expect my wife to take the reins on this one, I certainly hadn’t factored in the possibility of Daddy being the project manager. We all have our faults and this is one I am working on.

After being informed of our upcoming contract, my son and I put on our hard hats and got down to business. He diligently counted out 100 (or so) googly eyes, while I carefully drew out the monster’s frame.

Monster Time

Once we had the framework done, we were ready to begin gluing the 100 tiny eyes to the shirt. This is the point that my son decided that Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Wii was much more interesting and left me to fend for myself. Everything was going according to plan and I was even starting to get confident in my abilities. Apparently I was getting a little too confident and that’s when my glue gun decided to knock me down a peg…or four. Check out this battle scar.

Glue Gun Mishap

Don’t worry, folks, I’m alright and soldiered through the rest of the project unharmed. Before I do the big reveal of my first major project, I wanted to provide some tips for other less than crafty Dads. First, don’t be afraid of trying crafty things with/for your kids. It’s not as hard as it looks, you can definitely do it and you will feel pretty good about yourself afterwards. Second, glue guns are hot, so try not to glue a googly eye to your finger because it will hurt and leave a scarlet letter on your finger for all to see.

Now let’s get back to business. Without further ado, I present to you our completed 100th Day project, the 100 Eyed Monster!

100th Day

Seriously, this was a lot of fun to make and the pride I felt once it was finished was enough to make me want to create something else very soon. My kids and I have already decided on cardboard space ships for our next project, so keep an eye out for those very soon! I leave you with a shot of a very happy, monster wearing, customer! Cheers!!

Happy Customer

Coming Home

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Family Photo

It didn’t take long to miss the little things after leaving on my recent journey to the land known as America. There was no hug goodbye, no “we’ll miss you Daddy”, really, there was nothing but silence as I slipped out the door at 5am on a cold Thursday morning.

As I hit the road that morning, I had a nervous excitement about where I was headed and the experiences I would have. Still, there were constant reminders of what I was leaving behind. A miniature hockey bag on the floor made me think about how great my son’s first year of skating was going and of how proud I was of him. He wasn’t floating on air like Gretzky but maybe Wayne himself got off to a slow start.

There were warning signs to turn around as well. The first was the eerie squeal of the tires as they tore across the metal of the International Bridge. This was followed by 65 mile per hour winds that did everything but knock me right off the road. The two blizzards that followed served as a reminder of the fact that I was not in charge. No, SHE was in charge and it wouldn’t be the last time on this trip that I would be reminded of this.

I was not even three hours in and I was already wondering if my family missed me as much as I missed them. As I sat in the terminal, staring at the giant hunk of aluminum that would soon propel me 38,000 feet above land, I thought only of them. Airplanes. My arch nemesis. My kryptonite.

The flights were surprisingly easy; aside from the constant thoughts of us colliding with another aircraft, that is. I quietly read about Neil Young’s life story and his inspiration was enough to keep my nervous twitch subdued just long enough for the wheels to hit the tarmac. I love Neil. He has helped me through many tough times even though we have never met, and most likely never will.

Airports, Hotel, Conference, Karaoke, Cabbies with Guns; All of it wonderful and exciting and new in its own way, but something was still missing. I got a preview of that something at the midway point of my adventure courtesy of my wife. Here it is:

Yeah… I don’t think I need to explain what happened next, do I? By the end of the video, my room resembled the falls in Niagara as I instinctively clicked play, again, and again, and again. Each time noticing something familiar and wishing I was back there, in that moment, with my family. I knew I couldn’t leave just yet. I came here with a purpose, after all, and wouldn’t leave until I had proved to myself that I could face my fear and conquer it, which I am proud to say I did.

The long trip home was filled with road blocks. Airport confusion, flight delays, freezing rain, darkness, sleet, snow, aliens, gremlins, Super Bowl black outs & even the Stay Puff marshmallow man! You name it, I saw it, but nothing was going to stop me from getting home to those three smiling faces from the video. The kids were dreaming of princesses and Skylanders by the time I got home but I enjoyed the quiet catch up with my wife, whom I missed dearly.

Then, as if she could read my mind, my daughter popped her head around the stairwell and smiled. It was one of those smiles that make you realize how important someone is in your life. It was love. And I was wearing the exact same smile.

Someday That’ll Be Me

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I love being a Dad. Snuggling with my little ones is probably my favourite pastime these days, especially with the advance knowledge that they won’t want to do that forever. I can’t believe how fast they are growing up and how quickly their minds and abilities are evolving, but, I have to admit, contrary to how I thought I would feel about their rate of growth, I’m kind of excited about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t want them to turn into teenagers tomorrow. I love all the amazing moments and “firsts” that come with raising toddlers, but every now and then I see a Dad on his way to his son’s hockey practice or daughter’s dance recital and proudly think, “Someday that’ll be me”.

With each new step my children take towards independence, I can’t help but think of everything the world has in store for them and for us as a family. When I took my son skating for the first time, I kept glancing over at the father and son having a game of one on one and got an extra proud bounce in my stride in thinking about the day that I will be playing in that game.

I watch how carefully and lovingly my daughter takes care of her little dolls, making sure to give them all regular checkups, and I can’t help but flash forward to the day that she is taking care of real people at her own practice. These thoughts bring on an unexplainable sense of pride in knowing that my kids still have time to do whatever they want to do with their lives.

I have no intention of rushing my children’s development but that doesn’t mean I’m not excited for the journey that lies ahead. Even the smallest of scenarios are things that I can’t stop thinking about. I saw an older man having lunch with his adult son and grandson the other day and I couldn’t help but get lost in thinking, “Someday that’ll be me”.

The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

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Father Son

The sting was more than I had I anticipated. I knew this day would come but not this soon. Not now. It seems like just yesterday when we were playing outside in the snow, running, laughing and loving each other’s company. Actually, that was, literally, just yesterday. How did we get from that to this…

“I Hate My Daddy and We’re Not Friends Anymore!”

Of course, I played it totally cool the moment it happened even though my ears and my heart were burning up. All he had to do was say he was sorry to his little sister, who he had just shoved in a fit of anger. It seemed like a reasonable enough request as far as I was concerned, but his refusal landed him in his room for timeout.

Four. That’s how old my precious little bundle of joy is. Four years is all it took for him to go from falling asleep in his rice cereal to figuring out the keys to victory in a showdown with his old man.

Four. That’s how many minutes his timeout would last, unless he was willing to come out and apologize; which he was not.

Four. That’s the amount of minutes I had to sit outside his door and think about a life where my son hated me. It felt like 4 years and I almost caved a number of times but managed to stand my ground.

Where did he even learn that word? It’s not like he knows what it means; at least not in its truest form. We also try not to use any of the no-no words in our house. You know the ones: stupid, jerk, loser, hate, Caillou; see George Carlin for the rest.

He’s bound to hear them all at some point or another. If it wasn’t from me, it was going to be at school or on television, where even toddler programs seem to be pushing the envelope for reasons I can’t explain (I’m looking at you, Arthur).

We sat and talked after the timeout fiasco. We talked about why we should never use that word and how much it can hurt other people. I don’t know if he understood the conversation but he nodded along and then apologized for saying it and for hitting his sister. Oddly enough, I may have been the one who learned the biggest lesson out of all of this. No matter how hard we try to shield our children from the bad things in this world, they are eventually going to find them, so it’s best to be mentally ready for these situations well ahead of time. So far, the only true method I have found to be effective is love, patience and understanding, which I hope rubs off on my kids as they grow older and wiser.

I’m also happy to report that after our chat, my son let me know that we can be friends again, which is all this Dad really needed to hear.

Have your kids told you that they hate you before? If so, what age were they?

Cheers!

Sometimes Parenting Means Eating Froot Loops From The Floor In The Bathroom

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Kelloggs Froot Loops

You’re probably thinking “link bait” on this one, right? Unfortunately, for me, the title is 100% accurate. Let me tell you why I was forced to eat my delicious Kellogg’s Froot Loops from the floor in the bathroom…

I guess I should start by answering the obvious first question: Yes, I am a 34 year old man/husband/father and I still occasionally enjoy a bowl of sugary Froot Loops. While we’re on the subject, once every weekend I even let my kids have a bowl of it. There it is. I am a terrible father and role model.

Now, where were we??? Oh yes, the eating cereal from the bathroom floor thing.

You see, I am a firm believer that crunchy cereal is meant to be enjoyed while it is still in a semi crunchy state. Otherwise, why would it begin crunchy in the first place? It would just come in a can, like soup, and we would either drink it or continue eating it with a spoon as we do now. Of course, that would just be ridiculous.

There is, in fact, an art to cereal eating that I have decided not to bore you with at this time. That being said, one of the key components to enjoy a perfect bowl of cereal is the ability to eat it immediately after the milk has been poured. This becomes difficult when your two year old, almost potty trained, daughter yells “I have to go pee-pee!” as she runs to the bathroom.

What else was I supposed to do? I followed quickly behind her, bowl in hand, as we took our usual places. I can’t say it was my ideal eating conditions but damn if that wasn’t a delicious bowl of cereal!

Have you ever been stuck between a Pot and a Hard Place? Share your story in the comments!

Cheers!

How To Get Your Kids To Stop Playing Online Video Games

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Call Of Duty Black Ops

My 4 year old son loves his Super Mario Bros video game. Some days it borders on an unhealthy amount of love and I have recently started taking measures to cut back the amount of time he is allowed to spend on it. I realize that it is a non-violent video game for kids, but I really don’t want him to be so dependent on video games for entertainment. I mean, that’s why I bought him all those toys, right??

While doing my daily rounds on the internet yesterday, I came across another reason why I want to cut down on his video game time. That reason came from this article on Kotaku.com, which describes how far one father was willing to go in order to deter his 23 year old son from playing video games.

The father of 23 year old, Xiao Feng, didn’t like how much time his son was spending playing online video games, so he took matters into his own hands. In an effort to discourage his son from gaming and to get him to focus more on finding a job, Mr. Feng decided to hire in-game assassins to kill his son’s character every time he logged into his game.

As a former (mediocre) online gamer and as someone who has been killed in Call of Duty more times than I care to admit, I can sympathize with the frustration the boy must have felt. The son probably won’t admit it but the planning that must have gone into hiring in-game hitmen is most impressive. I wouldn’t even know where to start in contacting the top players of a specific game. It’s not like they use their real names and openly publish all of their contact info. Although, they may begin now that a new “Hitman For Hire” business opportunity has opened up!

I’m not sure how effective this strategy would be with other kids but it seems to have had the desired effect with Xiao Feng, who said “I want to take some time to find one (a job) that suits me.” I’ll be keeping this one in my back pocket for future use. Secretly, I hope it’s something I get to use someday. Talk about being a Bad-Ass Dad! Way to go, Mr. Feng!

Cheers!

Return Of The #AwesomeDads!

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I took a bit of a Holiday break since my last #AwesomeDads post but I think it’s time for a Dad revival!

My goal is to feature Awesome Dads doing awesome things with their kids. Whether it’s hitting the slopes, helping with homework or snuggling them back to health, I want to showcase the changing face of Dad. That said, here are this week’s Awesome Dads!

AdultEssentials

 

 

This is a great shot of Stuart Lowther and his 3 daughters, as they are about to cross the finish line at Gabrielle’s Ride in Oakville. Stuart is the Founder/President/CEO at Life Science Nutritionals, which create the Adult Essentials and IronKids Gummies brands of vitamins.

 

 

Trev Mahoney

 

 

Trev Mahoney is seen here with his kids, on a Whale Watching tour in Newfoundland. Trevor writes over at the Just A Dad blog and also on the Cheo Moms & Dads blog. You can catch up with him on Twitter at @Trev_Mahoney.

 

Cloak&Curio

 

 

Steven Grossman knows how to tire his kids out before bedtime. He opens up the Daddy Gym! A big thanks to his wife, Roshan, who runs Cloak & Curio, for submitting this picture (with his permission, of course)!

 

Justinvl

 

 

 

 

Photographer Justin Van Leeuwen sent in this hilarious picture of his kids invading his private time. Justin runs JVL Photography out of Ottawa and can be found on Twitter at @JustinVL.

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for this week’s edition of #AwesomeDads! Keep an eye out each week for a new set of amazing pictures and feel free to submit pictures for future editions to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Cheers!

And This Is Why We Don’t Do Spins Near The Christmas Tree!

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Kids Dancing

My kids love to spin. It doesn’t matter where we are or even if there is music playing, they just spin. I try to be a good parent and warn them of the dangers of spinning next to free standing objects but I can’t be expected to watch them every single second, right??

The following is an outtake from the “Dads sing Mariah Carey” video for the Life of Dad website. You’ll want to ignore the singing and pay attention to my son at the end of the video…

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!