Day 1,649 - The One with a Ferris Wheel in a Sporting Goods Store

I love creating memories with my kids. It’s honestly something that I’ve tried my best to prioritize. I know that part of being a stay-at-home dad is that neither Ellie or Ethan will necessarily remember everything about their formative years. However, I really hope that they at least remember a few things here and there. For Ethan, I think that we might have made one of those memories on Monday morning.

Last summer, I was subjected to a less-than-enjoyable dental surgery. The reason was that my root canal from two decades ago apparently wasn’t fully completed and what had been left had been rotting in my gums for all that time. Fortunately, a random chipped tooth allowed them to discover what had happened before things could get really bad. Apparently, if it was left unchecked for long enough, I could have eventually gone septic. Crazy, right? Anyway, as part of my surgery, I was told to make a follow-up exam after six months so they could check that everything healed properly. As a result, that’s exactly what I did.

Now, the thing that you need to know about my surgeon is that his office is located in Overland Park which is none too close to home. Therefore, I knew that I needed to make an appointment on a day when Ethan didn’t have school since there was no way I would be able to make it back to the Northland to pick him. Monday just happened to be that day so after we dropped Ellie off at school, we made our way down to Overland Park for my appointment.

Ethan may have gotten a little tired on our trek to Overland Park.

The thing about a six-month follow-up appointment is that it doesn’t take very long to complete. Ethan didn’t even have time to start watching a movie on my phone or anything. A couple of x-rays and a technician drumming on my teeth and we were on our way. Now, I have to be honest. The idea of immediately driving back home did not appeal to me. On past trips, we’ve grabbed lunch at Joe’s KC BBQ. However, I really didn’t feel like eating out on this occasion. As a result, I came up with another fun thing to do: we could head to Scheel’s Sporting Goods and ride the indoor Ferris Wheel!

Now, the prospect of going in a store did not delight Ethan very much. However, his demeanor changed when I wandered up to a register and purchased two tokens to ride the Ferris Wheel. Then, he started getting very excited. By the time we were standing in line for the ride, he was literally jumping up and down in excitement. It probably added to his excitement level that he had never ridden a Ferris Wheel before.

After much anticipation, the time arrived for us to climb aboard. Our ride operator, “Cookie McJingle” strapped us in and pressed the button to start the ride. For the record, I really don’t think our operator was telling me the truth about his name. It seemed inappropriate for me to ask to see a form of identification though. As the Ferris Wheel climbed higher and higher, Ethan’s eyes got bigger and bigger. Before long, we were at the highest point of the store and could see everything in sight. We circled up and down six times before Cookie finally pressed the button and ended our ride.

Once the ride was over, Ethan looked at me with the biggest puppy dog eyes and asked if we could get a treat to share. If you know my kids, then you know that they don’t care about toys at all. The most direct route to their heart is to buy them a treat. Therefore, it was fairly academic that I was going to buy him a treat. So with that, we headed into the café and purchase one of the largest cookies that I had ever seen. After breaking it in half, we sat down and enjoyed our tasty treat together, making conversation all the while. Once our treat was done, Ethan declared that he was ready to go home. Therefore, that’s exactly what we did.

While going to a sporting goods store might now seem like a very exciting thing, the fact is that my kids thrive on one-on-one time. They absolutely love to know that there’s no competition for affection at that point. Honestly, I love those moments too. While I love both of my kids equally, there’s something special about those little moments where it’s just me with one of them. While I know I’ll certainly remember those one-on-one times, I never know whether the kids will or not. That being said, I choose to believe that a first ride on a Ferris Wheel is a big enough moment for Ethan to make a memory.

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Day 1,640 - Big Feelings and Little People

Do you ever notice your personality or attitude shifting with the changes in seasons? Some folks definitely find themselves suffering from seasonal depressions as the weather turns. Maybe it’s brought on by the holidays or a lack of fresh air and limited physical activity. Regardless of the cause, it’s certainly a real thing.

In House Holt, we’re definitely seeing a shift in attitudes happening right now, especially with Ethan. I’m not so certain that it’s due to any kind of seasonal depression for them though. Instead, I think it’s primarily due to the fact that they are little people who happen to have big emotions. Unfortunately, sometimes when that is the case, those little people have not yet learned how to fully control said emotions.

For Ethan, that really raised itself last week at K-Prep. Between Thanksgiving break and Bethany being off work, things were certainly not the way that they normally are. While we didn’t notice any issues at home, there definitely were issues at school. Each day, Ethan’s teacher sends home a brief note that basically lets the parent know what their child was like on that day. Normally Ethan is “graded” as being happy and having a good attitude. However, during this instance, Ethan’s report said that he was sad and kind of mopey. In addition, it also stated that he cried because he missed his dad. How heartbreaking is that? The little man had become so accustomed to being around when school wasn’t in session that he cried at being separated. Never fear though as it seems like Ethan’s tears didn’t last long once he got properly distracted.

However, that wasn’t the last time Ethan would shed tears over missing someone or something. That very scenario unfolded today at Quiet Time. For most kids, quiet time is just a time to play alone. I’m pretty open with my kids that Quiet Time is as much for me as it is for them. For Ethan though, Quiet Time is generally an excuse for him to snuggle in his bed and take a nap. In fact, today, he was very open that was his plan. Therefore, imagine my surprise when I heard my son sobbing away upstairs. I listened for a few minutes before deciding that I should intervene.

When I opened the door to his room and went in, Ethan was curled up in his bed, sobbing uncontrollably. When I first asked him what was wrong, I guess he was embarrassed because he replied, “Nothing.” When I pressed again, he told the truth; he couldn’t find his stuffed cat, “Cat,” and was totally inconsolable at the loss. When I offered to help him find “Cat,” his feelings changed pretty quickly. While sometimes finding “Cat” is a massive operation, in this instance it was relatively simple. It was still in Ellie’s bed where the two kids had snuggled this morning before getting up. Once he had Cat safe in his arms, Ethan was cool as a cucumber and ready for that nap.

While it can definitely be stressful to help my kids learn how to deal with some of these big emotions, I also acknowledge that it’s a good thing. For one thing, they’re becoming more well-rounded human beings with an understanding of their feeling and how to deal with them. For another, it stretches me as a parent by forcing me to be more empathetic and sympathetic to their plights. Not my strong suit but I’m trying to keep learning! After all, the day I stop learning, that’s the day that I probably don’t have kids in the house anymore. No one wants that!

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