Storytime

Meet my son. Like most 2.5-year-olds, he is full of energy. Think of those old Energizer Bunny commercials: "He just keeps going and going and going." He does not stop until nap time or bedtime. He gets so tired that he gets grumpy.

That is the warning sign that it is time for sleep. His favorite game to play is getting chased. He loves to run away and pretend we are chasing him. He loves this game even more when he can get other kids in on the action.

His laugh is infectious and makes everyone laugh along. When we leave the house, he randomly points and waves at people passing by. He has an innate sense of humor and sometimes does something random to make you laugh.

The crazy part is that it is intentional. I believe he got this trait from my dad. He is also a jokester. What makes my toddler even funnier is he is so innocent. How could he come up with this joke?

Our little ones are way smarter than we give them credit. I don't know if it is because I am his dad, but I think he is brilliant. He gets that compliment from time to time. There are things our little ones do that we say, "Where did they learn to do that." I hope you can relate.

As much as I want to spend more time with my son, sadly, I have a 9-5. My wife is a stay-at-home mom. However, there are times when she gets sick from the play areas like indoor playgrounds, events, and even museums. I hear that, in some cases, kids get sick every other month from daycare or play dates. It's common.

My wife takes care of many of his day-to-day activities, so when she needs time to rest and recover, it is a man down in our family. We do not have support from family or friends as they are in another state. So, I usually take time off from work.

I need to save my sick days for these occasions. It is a bittersweet time for me. I need to give my wife time to recover while spending more time with my son. Sure, I would prefer these times to be a family event.

This past weekend was one of these events. My wife got the flu. She was down for about four days straight. I hope most men are not lost when this happens. I know it can be challenging, but it is bonding time, and you must make the most of it.

I planned the weekend out, had my wife take it easy, and rest up as I took over for her. My son and I had an action-packed weekend. I was excited, and my wife was a bit jealous, mostly because she wanted to join in as a family fun outing.

I packed the diaper bag, grabbed a few snacks, (2) pairs of change of clothes (you never know), and water.

Typically, I leave the house with one diaper and some wipes in a ziplock. (Typical dad bag) I stuff it in my pocket, and off we go. But this time, it was different. I did not want a major blowout to ruin our day.

Or somehow getting the clothes wet, ending our day. We were going out till I tired out my toddler. (It takes a lot of effort)

I left my wife with a meal of "caldo de pollo" (Chicken Soup in English) and medicine. (The soup smelled so good like your mom would make a home-cooked meal. A small pat on my back because it came out just right this time)

"Goodbye babe, I will see you later," as we left the house.

The destination

On the list of places to visit was the indoor adventure park. It is your typical indoor park with toddler and big kid sections. The big kid section had giant slides and climbs. There are all sorts of bright colors, and to my surprise, it did not smell like old socks.

I'm impressed.

My son tends to go for the big stuff. I roll my eyes when I see this because I am afraid of him getting hurt, but what can you do? He loves to be daring, and I need to encourage him. He needs to build his strength and courage.

Since he is not tall enough, I lie down on my stomach, and he uses me as a stepping stool to get to the next level. Yes, sometimes his little feet end up on my head.

We got to a section where they had small rubber balls—the kind you use for dodgeball. Other kids around his age were playing.

My son started kicking the ball and running after it. He kicked it toward me, and I celebrated his accuracy. I gave a high five and a fist pump as he giggled off. We were having a great time.

He enjoyed doing this for some time until another little boy joined. The little boy seemed to be older. A ball bounced toward him, and he kicked it with all his might. I heard a grunt as he kicked it. 

I could not reach my son in time, and the ball hit my son in the arm. 

This was no accident.

I was enraged. (I wanted to push down the little boy) 

I asked myself, where are his parents!?

No parent was nearby.

My son looked at me, wondering what just happened. 

The little boy laughed as my son began to whimper.

My son started tearing up because this little boy hurt my son. Then he started to cry.

I said to the little boy, "HEY, that is not nice. Where are your parents?" (of course, I wanted to tell off this little booger for hitting my son)

He shrugged his shoulder with an "I don't know and ran off."

My son just wants to play and have fun. He looks up to bigger kids, so it was very confusing for the little booger to do.

I comforted my son and said, "That is a mean person, and he probably does not know any better. Let's go play somewhere else."

I do not know if my son understood me, but that is all I could say.

We finally caught up to the little boy and his dad.

Surprise, surprise...

He was on his phone and checked out.

I approached him, leaned in, and said, "Hey man, your son kicked the ball toward my son and hit him"

He chuckled and said, "Sorry, I guess boys will be boys"

His response almost sent me over the edge. The lack of responsibility, discipline, and attention to his son explains everything.

I responded, "Well, I guess if my son punched your son in the face for that, then boys will be boys." He brushed me off.

There is not much more I could do besides try and parent the so-called parent. I was done with this guy and took my son to play in a different area.

In my head, I wanted to fight this guy for the sarcastic response. I cooled off and walked away.

I am not sure I handled the situation well.

Fortunately, my son brushed it off and went on playing. We visited other places and had no issues with other kids. It was only one incident, and that did not derail our time together.

Lessons I learned

The reason I am telling you this it reminds me of a quote from Sadhguru:

Unfortunately, the situation got the best of me. Seeing my son get hurt by that mean kid had me through all the compassion in me out the window. In some cases, there will be no resolution. I went with the latter I used distance and on.

The situation taught me several lessons.

One

There will come a time when my son will need to defend himself. Dad or mom will not be there to protect him. (It is a sad reality that all parents should take seriously). It is important for him to understand how to protect himself. I would like to sign him up for self-defense classes when he is ready.

Two

I need to understand that it is not their fault when kids are overly aggressive. Something is missing in their home. I need to be more compassionate towards them so my son can model that behavior. 

Checked-out parents can be a sign of burnout or something else. I need to be better about how I handle these situations in the future. After all, my son will resolve his conflict based on how I do it.

Three

I need to teach my son that there are not always nice people out there and we need to identify these people early on. I do not want my son hanging around the wrong crowd.

I know this too well. As a child, my neighborhood was filled with gangsters. My mom forbade me from making friends with them. It probably saved my life.

Dad joke of the week

Something to think about

Thank you for taking the time to read through the newsletter. If you found this entertaining or learned something, please forward this newsletter to other parents.

— Aurelio

Disclaimer
_{Always check with your partner and pediatrician before implementing any new practices involving your children. The information provided is meant for educational purposes. Please do your research, as I have provided my thoughts, experience, and perspectives on the matter at hand.}