Being a stay-at-home dad has many advantages, one of which is having the opportunity to spend an unusual amount of time with my youngest daughter. Admittedly, there are some days that I am tempted to view this very thing as a disadvantage. Kidding, kidding. Well, sort of.
But normally I really try to appreciate this time in my life. I know someday I'll be driving in my car and the song "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin will come on the radio and I'll think back to now with nostalgic sadness. My girls have really made me into a sentimental guy, especially when it comes to watching them grow up into little ladies. Most people look at me and think, "Man, that guy's so incredibly macho, he's probably never cried in his life." But that's not the case at all. (my wife just about shot her morning yogurt through her nose having laughed at reading that last part)
So when my little girl asks if we can lay on a blanket underneath our trees and have a picnic, or just play silly games, or just watch the clouds passing by, I usually drop what I'm doing and seize the moment. It'll be soon enough that this notion will not even cross her mind so I better appreciate it now.
The other day we got out a couple blankets and pillows and spread them out in the front yard, strategically placed in the shade of a few trees. After she finally settled with the arrangement of said blankets and pillows (my daughter is very obsessive-compulsive when it comes to such things), we began talking about all sorts of important subjects: recapping her year at pre-school, her next birthday plans, what she'll be when she grows up, what I'll be when I grow up, why dogs have tails, the best flavors of ice cream, why I have hair on my legs etc. Very heavy stuff.
And then we started playing her favorite yard-lounging game. It's when I pretend that I'm some sort of animal, giving her clues as to what kind I am, and she in turn tries to guess the answer. We will play this game for quite a while. Sometimes too long. Daddy occasionally starts repeating animals or even forgetting what animal he is supposed to be. I sometimes start off as an elephant and then a few clues later I switch to a squirrel. (I do suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. I've not been diagnosed, but my wife and I both agree that I am very ADD symptomatic.)
I like this "animal game" because it makes her think. But one particular sequence caused me some alarm. I gave her the following clues: "I'm big, move slow, live on a farm, and usually am black and white."
Her response: "A rabbit?"
"Oh my..." I thought.
"Honey, no. Ok, here's another hint. I produce what you put on your cereal," I said.
"You make sugar?" she asked.
"No dear, not sugar. Something else," slightly disturbed by the fact that this was already taking considerably longer than I anticipated.
"Hmmm...sometimes we put strawberries on cereal. You make strawberries?" she asked again.
Sweet Moses. Come on, man.
"Milk, I make milk!" I blurted.
"Oh, milk!" she shouted. "Ok. Are you a rabbit?"
"No. No. No. No. Besides, you've already said 'rabbit'," I answered becoming more and more agitated...and a bit worried. I know she's only 4, but what was wrong with her? Rabbits are large animals that live on a farm and make milk? Yikes.
"Gotcha! Dad, you're a cow. I'm just teasin'. That's an easy one," she said giggling.
I was very much relieved to hear that come from her mouth. For awhile there she had me concerned that I had failed miserably as a parent. As it turns out, she is a bright child. In fact not only is she bright, but apparently she's intelligent enough to outsmart me. Sadly, I don't think that's a major accomplishment for anybody, not even a pre-schooler.
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