Day: January 29, 2017

Yesterday I drove the boys to Flagstaff in hopes of waking up in the morning to a glorious sledding day. The evening became a slow moving nightmare of tired youth and angry father. I worried, for quite a spell, that I might snap. I did not. At some point during the evening the boys approached humanity. This was temporary, of course. They went back to the follies of youth quite quickly and I was quite through with it all by noon the next day.

All things considered, I had a good time on the slopes. I learned inexpensive ways to get in solid snowplay. I also learned what we do (and don’t) need in order to have a really good time on a budget. By budget I mean far far less than what was actually spent on this particular trip. Final damages: Lost my favorite winter coat, spent a slew on second rate cold gear, three happy kids.

That last bit is what really matters when you boil it all down. One thing I learned: My kids have a strange attraction to 80’s styled music. I blame the Teen Titans. This song by BER was on crazy repeat the whole trip. That is, when they weren’t singing Black Beetles. Maybe I’m raising DJ’s after all…

The anger bubbling inside of me is layered with fatigue and disappointment. My kids are after all, kids. They’ve gotten better over the years but there are times when circumstances are way past reason and the kids become unmanageable creatures who ought to be put to bed…for at least a few days.

 

It started on the way out of the door. We’d long planned a trip to Flagstaff, AZ in order to see the snow. It finally came time and the boys were so beyond basic excitement that it was impossible for them to carry out simple instructions without devolving into giggles and or fights. This translated into the youngest arriving in Flag without his shoes. Yeah, no shoes. Despite three reminders and him telling me disgruntledly that he had them, no shoes.

 

I get excitement. It cannibalizes common sense, leaving a thrill zombie in its wake. By 10 pm that night all three kids were literally spinning in circles as they danced down the hall back to the room. There was no music save for the shouts I was forced to put down time and again before we made it to the room and long after.

 

It is a burden of parenthood to have children who occasionally act out. How you handle that is one of the defining moments of how your parenting is received. There is a razor wire separating good parenting and straight outrage. I am pleased to say that no child was harmed in the events leading to this blog.

 

Well, not yet at least.