Just One Of The Cool Kids

At some point, my kids are going to realize that I am so uncool.

One day, both kids are going to wake up, come down stairs, and see pops on the couch playing video games in his underpants with a half drank cup of coffee on the table. I will flash my most winning dad smile and invite them to play Mario Kart with me. They will sigh, and politely decline. One will go for a bike ride. The other will read and pretend to not hear me call Bowser a bitch for shooting a blue turtle shell at me.

They will one day find out that dear old dad played Dungeons and Dragons pretty regularly, and that despite not subbing for years, still has a healthy love for World of Warcraft.

They will groan mightily when I wake them both up early to go to Free Comic Book Day with me.

They will sigh when I talk to them about how this year, it will be the Knicks turn to win a championship, despite winning only 10 games the previous season.

They will roll their eyes when I gently correct them that the grey Hulk was much weaker, but more cunning than the first green Hulk.

They will plug their ears up to the third knuckle when I decide it's time to listen to Iron Maiden on the way to school.

They will tolerate watching Star Wars, yet again, because dammit, these are how movies were supposed to be made. Practical effects. Not your fancy green screens.

Despite all this, they will know that their daddy loves them more than anything.

They might not like the same things I do. They might hide me from their friends when they come over to hang out, but they will know that being themselves is one of the most important things in the world for them to be.

Whatever they do, whereever they go, whatever make their hearts sing and makes their blood boil, if they love it and are passionate about it, then that's what they should love and hold on to.

Just as long as they make some time for Dad and some Mario Kart every now and then.

Everything is Magic, and Minion News!

P-man had been talking about it for weeks. I had made an offhand comment about visiting one of his Grandpa's at their work and riding a forklift.

I had completely thought he had forgotten about it until a couple of days ago when he piped up out of nowhere that we should go.

A phone call later, and the appoinment was set.  P-man would get up close and personal with a forklift.

Let me explain something to you guys.  P-man is obsessed, OBSESSED, like, unhealthily obsessed with machinery. Any machinery. All machinery. If it lifts, digs, pushes, pulls or flattens, it is aces in P-mans books. We will be riding around in the car going somewhere, and out of the backseat is the constant reminder that we are next to a:

"TRACTOR, DADDY!"
"LOADER, DADDY!"

"WHOAH, LOOK AT THAT TRUCK. IT'S GOT A FLATBED TRAILER!"

"DUUUUUUMPTRUUUUUUUCK"

When we arrived at the office where my dad works, I could tell P-man was excited, but seemed a little restless and apprehensive.

I'm not sure what it was, but when we brought him out to the warehouse where the forklift sat waiting for him, all nervousness, fear and trepidation melted away to be replaced by a look of abject wonder and awe.

P-Man spent about 5 minutes on the forklift, working the various controls to manipulate the blades, afterwhich he got really quiet.

"Hey, buddy," I said, kneeling down to his eye level. "Are you ok."

P-man placed his little hands in mine and whispered: "Daddy, I need to go to the car."

It didn't occur to me until later that perhaps his brain was having trouble processing what he just did. We have spent countless hours watching construction videos on YouTube. We have sat on the grass at playgrounds watching equipment working rather than playing in the summer mornings. He knows every piece of equipment there is to know. This is something that, to him, is something unattainable. This is like riding shotgun on Santa's sleigh. This can't be reality.

My God, I am so blessed to be witnessing these moments. Moments like these are the best part of being a parent.  Moments where our children exist in a moment where imagination and reality blend together to form an experience unparalleled by anything else.

There is magic in the world, and I am glad to see it in him.

P-Man, Grandpa and the Forklift

AND NOW SOME NEWS!

My wife and I are thrilled beyond belief that our new little bean is going to be a girl! I'm going to have learn all sorts of new things and play new games.  I can't wait.