Choices

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The ‘f’ Word

October 3, 2010 | 1 comment

A couple of weeks ago, Squirts, DeDe and I went to dinner with Jeremy, a new friend of ours. Or as Squirts calls him, “coffee Jeremy,” to distinguish him from “cousin Jeremy” (his cousin), and “mean Jeremy”(a less-than-friendly child in his class).

At some point in the meal, Squirts looked up in horror at his mom and me and said, “Jeremy said the ‘Sh’ word!” After looking only a little flustered at being called out by a four-year-old, Jeremy continued the conversation. A few minute later, Squirts interrupted again with “Mommy, Jeremy said the ‘b’ word!”

We smile awkwardly as we pat Squirts hand and encourage Jeremy to continue. Finally, all conversation comes to a screeching halt when Squirts blurts, “But Daddy, Jeremy just said the ‘f’ word!”

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There Are No Ifs

September 12, 2010 | 3 comments

This summer, Squirts, DeDe and I had the opportunity to join our church junior high group at a swim night during their summer mission trip. We found ourselves at a small Southwest Texas community pool situated next to a mobile home park featuring a sign that read, “All trailer park children under 12 must be supervised.”

Needless to say, we wanted to fit in so we tried to keep all of our children supervised as well.

As we entered the pool area, Squirts eyes lit up at what must have been the tallest diving board he’d ever seen. I estimate the board to have been nine or ten feet high. If you ask Squirts, “It was 13 or 14 feet. All the way to the sky!”

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Oohs and Ahhs of Exile

August 1, 2010 | No comments

Always anxious to show off some newly discovered skill or knowledge, Squirts noticed the digital clock at the front of the car. From the back, he pointed and said, “Daddy, it’s 10:51. I know that number. That 5 and 1 make 51! It’s 10:51.”

Always anxious to affirm his newly discovered skill or knowledge, I make the appropriate “oohs” and “ahhs” about how smart he must be to know it’s 10:51.

Never let it be said that my son doesn’t know how to milk a moment: He begins singing at full volume “10:51, 10:51, 10:51, 10:51,” his voice moving progressively up the musical scale which each utterance of the time.

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Father/Son Thrill Ride

July 18, 2010 | 1 comment

We were at Target buying a couple of birthday presents. Squirts had recently turned two and was standing in the cart as he and I headed to the toy section. Yes, I said standing in the cart, OK? And yes, I saw the pictogram with the slash through a child standing in the cart. But the people who draw those pictures have apparently never had a 2-year-old who wanted to stand in the cart. That’s not even the point of the story, so you can stop wagging your finger and read on.

Squirts’ mommy is hunting down a gift in another part of the store while we hit the toy aisle. As Squirts looks in awe and imagines what a life with this many toys would be like, I turn to the wall of Yu-Gi-Oh games we’ve come to pick up. While I try to decipher exactly what a Yu-Gi-Oh is, Squirts rattles on behind me about some toy he needs to take home.

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