Normally I would not make the silly mistake of trying to drink a hot cup of coffee while entertaining my 3 1/2 year old on my lap. I use the word 'entertaining' very loosely. It was more like "Daddy, I'm going to sit on your lap okay?". "Okay", I said as resistance is futile and besides, I like to have her in my lap for short clips of time. I would go for longer stretches than 3-4 minutes if she would sit still, but that may never be her way. She has been on the move since she was born--no exceptions. This was even true when she was on her back before the days of her Olympic crawling sessions. Even then, her limbs were on the move although they were not carrying her body anywhere at that time. That didn't seem to concern her. It was the act of some part of her moving in some form or fashion that was the means to that all-encompassing end called adventure or experience.
Today, as I patiently sat awaiting all the neurons in my brain to begin firing in some semblance of co-operation betwixt them all as I was mindlessly swilling my first cup of the dangerously thick brew that I call coffee, my toddler runs towards me as she returns from her routine morning inspection of the front yard. I unconsciously block all that is valuable to my person, for although I am always into her affection---she is dangerous! She doesn't know this of course. What 3 1/2 year old child does? None. "Dangerous how?" you may ask. Dangerous in the sense that not all parts of her body are committed to communicating with each other with every step that she makes. The arms may have one idea (of what they are going to do and where they are going) and the legs quite another. The resultant response is a shallow fear on the part of her dad when quick, impulsive action is underway. In these moments I am looking to protect myself as well as her---from Her. It sometimes takes an amazing amount of dexterity and agility to pull off the proper defensive move that satisfies the protection needed on both fronts. It's quite comical really, especially when you succeed. When you don't, well...it's less than comical. This morning we were dressed in nice clean clothes, she and I. We had come outside to greet the day and to sense what kind of day it would be. It was known within the first 5 seconds: Ah, yes. Muggy and it will be hot as hell by 2 in the afternoon. It was pleasant at the time, but the muggy quality was screaming hello by impregnating the clothes with dampness and covering the skin with excess moisture. This is Texas after all. I sit down with my coffee on one of the porch chairs as Shayla speeds off to harass all the insect inhabitants of our front lawn over grown with clover as it is. She runs in circles and then doubles back to go the other way, who knows why, but it's pleasing to look at as it gives the semblance of balance. Here we are, the young and the 'not that young' enjoying our simple pleasures. Me: being stationary, and she: running around in circles and other patterns with a big stick looking for things to hit. A type of 'Odd Couple' all over again, but in quite a different sense. It is in this state of relaxed, yet not quite awake, 'reverie' that my little 'bundle of hypertension' wordlessly bolts towards me. I unconsciously cross my legs and stiffen up a bit in preparation for one of our seemingly routine collisions. She then comes to a full stop right in front of me.
"Hey, Daaaaadie?" she coos.
"Yes, Honey?"
"Can I climb up in your lap?"
"Sure" I say as I relax and uncross my legs and allow her passage up.
We sit there perfectly happy for several minutes until I go to grab my cup of coffee off the porch's side table....
Young children do not know the reality of physical cause and effect timing. I think it takes them years to learn what that is. Sometimes we, as parents forget that for a moment here and there, to warn and prep the child for what is about to take place and thus subsequently reap the effects of poorly orchestrated timing.
I failed to tell Shayla that I was about to grab my coffee and to stay still. I grabbed it and brought it to within inches of my lips and just then she shifted her whole body to get more comfortable which resulted in us wearing that cup of medium hot coffee. Fortunately the coffee had cooled down a fair amount, but was still quite warm. She was genuinely shocked. That, in itself was pretty comical---the look of shock at gravity having done it's job. We didn't get burned, but our fresh clothes were now soiled and had to be changed. Since the coffee had cream and sugar in it we had to stick her in the shower and both of us required a change of clothes.
Afterwards we had a little talk about gravity and liquids, and trying to be still while sitting in Daddy's lap. Impossible I know, but I just hope that one of these days something more than just sugar, will 'stick'.
Today, as I patiently sat awaiting all the neurons in my brain to begin firing in some semblance of co-operation betwixt them all as I was mindlessly swilling my first cup of the dangerously thick brew that I call coffee, my toddler runs towards me as she returns from her routine morning inspection of the front yard. I unconsciously block all that is valuable to my person, for although I am always into her affection---she is dangerous! She doesn't know this of course. What 3 1/2 year old child does? None. "Dangerous how?" you may ask. Dangerous in the sense that not all parts of her body are committed to communicating with each other with every step that she makes. The arms may have one idea (of what they are going to do and where they are going) and the legs quite another. The resultant response is a shallow fear on the part of her dad when quick, impulsive action is underway. In these moments I am looking to protect myself as well as her---from Her. It sometimes takes an amazing amount of dexterity and agility to pull off the proper defensive move that satisfies the protection needed on both fronts. It's quite comical really, especially when you succeed. When you don't, well...it's less than comical. This morning we were dressed in nice clean clothes, she and I. We had come outside to greet the day and to sense what kind of day it would be. It was known within the first 5 seconds: Ah, yes. Muggy and it will be hot as hell by 2 in the afternoon. It was pleasant at the time, but the muggy quality was screaming hello by impregnating the clothes with dampness and covering the skin with excess moisture. This is Texas after all. I sit down with my coffee on one of the porch chairs as Shayla speeds off to harass all the insect inhabitants of our front lawn over grown with clover as it is. She runs in circles and then doubles back to go the other way, who knows why, but it's pleasing to look at as it gives the semblance of balance. Here we are, the young and the 'not that young' enjoying our simple pleasures. Me: being stationary, and she: running around in circles and other patterns with a big stick looking for things to hit. A type of 'Odd Couple' all over again, but in quite a different sense. It is in this state of relaxed, yet not quite awake, 'reverie' that my little 'bundle of hypertension' wordlessly bolts towards me. I unconsciously cross my legs and stiffen up a bit in preparation for one of our seemingly routine collisions. She then comes to a full stop right in front of me.
"Hey, Daaaaadie?" she coos.
"Yes, Honey?"
"Can I climb up in your lap?"
"Sure" I say as I relax and uncross my legs and allow her passage up.
We sit there perfectly happy for several minutes until I go to grab my cup of coffee off the porch's side table....
Young children do not know the reality of physical cause and effect timing. I think it takes them years to learn what that is. Sometimes we, as parents forget that for a moment here and there, to warn and prep the child for what is about to take place and thus subsequently reap the effects of poorly orchestrated timing.
I failed to tell Shayla that I was about to grab my coffee and to stay still. I grabbed it and brought it to within inches of my lips and just then she shifted her whole body to get more comfortable which resulted in us wearing that cup of medium hot coffee. Fortunately the coffee had cooled down a fair amount, but was still quite warm. She was genuinely shocked. That, in itself was pretty comical---the look of shock at gravity having done it's job. We didn't get burned, but our fresh clothes were now soiled and had to be changed. Since the coffee had cream and sugar in it we had to stick her in the shower and both of us required a change of clothes.
Afterwards we had a little talk about gravity and liquids, and trying to be still while sitting in Daddy's lap. Impossible I know, but I just hope that one of these days something more than just sugar, will 'stick'.