Children

I am the proud parent of two little devious monsters whom I love dearly.  Everyday they exhibit their curious nature and inevitably will break something and make The Wife scream.  They know every button to push on her and they do relentlessly.  They stay awake too long, they demand treats after dark, they throw tantrums if the WII isn't working right.  But, they love us and are happiest when we are all happy.  They are children who are growing fast.

They are reflections of their parents.  She has my hair, he has hers.  She has her eyes, he has mine.  They both have her fire, they both have my strength.  There are good times and bad, but they are a part of us and we are of them.  I remember when they were small, and I could hold them close.  I remember when I had to sleep with them in their rooms to help them get to sleep.  Their first steps, their first movie, their first bacon cheeseburger.

She has blossomed into a (nearly) seven year old girl who is bright and inquisitve.  She does not accept things as presented, but always feels a need to question.  Why is sky blue?  Are you sure?  How do you know?  She needs to know the answers, and will press relentlessly until she gets them.  She is already in advanced math and sleeping through it, because she already knows all the answers.  She learned to read via Tivo, and tries so hard to emulate her mother by trying to be a leader to her little brother.  Even though this often causes more arguments, she tries, because she loves her mother and wants to be like her.

He is a challenge, tearing though life faster than is classmates.  He is boisterous and intelligent.  He cannot read yet, but can use all the games on the WII and knows all the menus.  A fact that he is not afraid to express if he thinks his mom or dad are doing something wrong.  He is proud of what he can do and takes great joy in showing off his skills, all too often by correcting others.  He has a fiery temper, which comes from his father, but has started to learn how to balance that with relaxation exercises.  He knows the consequences of his actions, but knows the tricks to avoid them.  He is his own little man and only wants to make his mother proud.  With every action he looks to his mother for approval.

As parents we are entering the time where we think of preventing future kids... forever.  We naturally feel a loss for the times when they were younger.  The times that they grew.  The future with two knowing it will never be more.  There is a natural sadness at the prospect of this loss of what may be, what may not.  We do not know, there is a mystery in the future that we may never face. 

It is in this climate where we look forward to the growth of the two and consider, reluctantly, what it means to add another.  A smaller Christmas, the reuse of some old clothes.  A crying sound in the night.  More hugs, more challenges, more love.  A few more diapers, and a whole lot of headaches.  One thing I know for sure is that, if another were to appear, he/she would have two loving parents and the best brother and sister they could ever hope for.

-Uncle Walter

Comments

[The Wife]

Oh, you're a devious SOB, aren't you???

[Olivia]

I think you 2 might need marriage counseling. Most people don't air their dirty laundry on the internet lol

[The Wife]

Are you kidding? That's where EVERYONE airs their dirty laundry!

And we do it while laying 2 feet from each other, in bed. But we laugh about it. So, nah, probably no need for marriage counseling. I'll jump at it if we ever stop laughing, though.