On Guard, Scallywag
Posted in Family, Kids, Outdoors, Uncategorized on May 30th, 2008
(click to enlarge, or walk the plank)
In Tulsa last weekend, my favorite time was one cool morning playing with Benjamin in the front yard. He picked up a couple black plastic stakes advertising the lawn service Shannon’s uncle uses, and following his lead we pretended they were swords. We fake fenced a bit and then he mimicked pulling a trigger and fake shot me. If this disturbs you, then get ready — kids love to pretend to shoot.
Figuring I didn’t want to bring a knife to a gunfight, I pulled my sword’s imaginary trigger and did my best vocal impression of a Star Wars blaster.
“No, daddy, your sword can’t shoot. Only mine can shoot.”
I laughed. “Well, that doesn’t seem quite fair, son.”
Our time reminded me that weather can be pleasant in May and that our four-year-old boy (sneaking up on five) thrives outdoors.
While we can’t offer him the wooded environs of my childhood, I am glad that his first question when I get home from work is, “Can we go outside and play, Daddy?”
The poor kid. He got pretty much the same skin his old man has, so all of that outside time comes with a price. Sunscreen. Lots and lots of sunscreen.
For one morning in Tulsa, however, we didn’t have to worry about such things. We were just father and son in the front yard, battling like pirates.
*LOL* You have a great relationship with your son Mark… savor it!!! Sounds like you guys had fun outside…
Does he have any friends his age in the neighborhood??
When I was a kid, there was a furniture store at the end of our street, and we used to go get the empty boxes, and make the BIGGEST forts out of them! *smiling*
Ah.. memories….
Have a great weekend Mark!
I can attest to the extreme fondness for shooting. We don’t even really know where our boys get it. It seems rather innate. Sort of terrifyingly cute how our two year-old crouches down and holds a fake gun like he knows how to brace himself for the expected recoil.
Sort of.
Have fun painting, by the way!
Playing outside. There’s a lost art with today’s kids. I think when we were kids, the only time we ever came in was to eat or get something to drink from time to time. Well…that’s if we didn’t just drink hose water.
Do you think mom locked us out and we just don’t remember it? LOL
In all seriousness…I think that’s what always kept us in shape. We were constantly doing something, and today I rarely see kids outside playing.
Let’s hear it for imagination! Some days I have to turn everything off….and practically kick them outside! I used to spend 8 hours a day outside when I was young…what ever happened to that?
Sounds like great fun!
9 straight days off work? What? Is that your entry, or from someone else?
If that’s the case, we may head down one day this week from Texarkana just for a quick visit, if you’re going to be in town. I need to go down there, and that would be close enough for us to get LC down there to see Ben.
Dude…almost every other day he tells us that he’s going to pack his stuff for a trip to Bens. Then we tell him it may be awhile, and he says, “That’s OK, because I’ll be ready to go when it’s time.” And then he packs his suitcase with a few pair of underwear, socks, and of course mostly toys.
The other day he said, “Mom, I want to go see Ben. Not because I want to play with his toys either….but because I love Ben and I miss him.”
Yeppers - my man is off work all of this week. The only plans we have are to hang with the kid and get some painting done. Come on over - we’d love to see all of y’all!!!!!!
Wow, Ben’s losing that “little boy” look. Hurry and do something about that, wouldja? He’s too young to make that transition from cute to handsome…