Enjoying Every Minute

Fatherhood, Kids 2 Minutes

Have you ever found yourself in a situation and thought, “What am I doing here?”

Going back nearly twenty years, I asked myself that question the day I woke up in Germany, and it finally hit me that it would be two years before I saw my family and friends. I stared at the ceiling as the sun crept through a small window. I didn’t want to move. Afraid of the unknown and not quite sure how I ended up thousands of miles away from Utah.

kaidad

A similar experienced happened to me this past week. Kim was cleaning the kitchen while I tried to corral our three youngest children into the bathtub.

Luca was yelling because it’s her turn to take a bath. But the water is dirty. And what if there’s no more hot water left because I filled the tub too full, and mom is hogging the rest of the hot water by WASHING the dishes?

Catastrophic! Who knew hot water was so rare?

While washing the shampoo from Anna’s hair, Kai decided to pour water down the back of my pants, and now the kids can’t stop laughing because it looks like dad peed the back of his pants.

Hilarious.

I’ve had enough.

I lean up against the hallway wall. I’m exhausted. I’m outnumbered. What am I doing here? Before I can answer that, I notice only two kids in the tub where three should be.

How did one escape while I’m standing TEN FEET AWAY?

This isn’t our first child. I can’t blame it on lack of experience or rookie mistakes. One might assume that by number four I’d have a handle on things. An orderly dinner would lead to kids working quietly on homework. Bath and bedtime would be a cinch. I should be a seasoned veteran by now. The Mariano Rivera of bed time. Yep, the bedtime closer.

So why does our bath routine result in more water on the floor and down my pants than in the tub? If the Super Nanny were in town, I’d be getting a lecture while our kids sat on the couch pulling faces and trying not to laugh.

As this runs through my mind, and I’m about ready to call for backup, I feel a tug on my pants. When I look down, I see a dripping wet two year old streaker holding a blue towel. He extends his arm towards me and says, “Help!”

I wrap him in the towel like a burrito so he can’t escape before picking him up. Before I can dry his hair, he puts his head on my shoulder.

There’s no better reward.

Later that night as I took off my shirt, I realized Kai’s long blonde hair has soaked much of it.

I may not always know what I’m doing, but I’m enjoying every minute of whatever it is.

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8 thoughts on “Enjoying Every Minute”

  2. ….and every minute of your blog is a joy to me! You are an amazing writer and I am your biggest fan but what's more:THANK YOU again for bringing a tear to my eye and a tug to my heart by helping me relive and truly feel the love in the moments you spend with your babies!THANK you for the idea: I wish I had written about my babies them back when. They are now 23 and 18 and so very very grown – but only in size…perhaps if I start a new blog to chronicle 'mylifewithkids”- those now fleeting moments will have a place in history.THANK YOU for maybe helping me figure out a way: hen, maybe there's a chance that my “grown” sons – who so take me for granted and are so disrespectful- which is a heartbreaker to say the least- will catch a glimpse of understanding that I am not a nag or a PITA but someone who gave them baths, wiped their poop, dried their tears and loved them like no other person ever will ever. Thank you on behalf of your kids – your blog will inspire them when they are grown.Thank you – my friend – you inspire me!<drying the tears of joy>Thank YOU for being there.M.

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  4. Oh I have so been there and done that … in my own day. I guess it is like anything else worth having in live when you raise children where the hard parts make the good parts even better. If all we had were the rewarding times we wouldn't appreciate them so much. I enjoyed your blog and laughed out loud at the water down the back of the pants.

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  6. Marla, Wow, thank you for such a thoughtful comment. You comment made me think about what life will be like when my kids are in their teens and twenties like your sons. I'm sure we'll have our share of misunderstandings. I'm hoping that time invested now will pay off down the road. I don't know how that will work. One of the best benefits from keeping a blog have been the people I've met and learned from. You are one of those people. Thanks again and keep trying with those sons. I know I was a pain in the butt for many years. Eventually I came around.

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  8. GrandmaHenke, you make a good point about appreciating the good times. Next time you're in town, I'm sure Kai would love to show you his pouring water down the pants trick. 🙂

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