Nature's Timer

My kids love to go to the park, but they hate when I tell them it’s time to go home. They always say that we haven't been at the park long enough and protest the whole way back to the van. I feel bad for one, because they really love to play, two, because sometimes they are right, especially in the summer when it is hot out, especially where we live. Sometimes I do ask them if they want to go, but I know what their answer will be..NO. But in the end, it is my decision.

They are young and don't really understand. I have nothing against taking them to the park or letting them play for a while. But when my two red haired daughters (I am still not sure where the red hair came from) start getting beet red, not from being sunburned, but just from the heat, it is time to leave...now. I have tried to explain it to them, but all they know is that daddy is stopping them from having fun. But, the health and safety of my kids takes precedence over their "fun time" every time.

I feel bad about it sometimes. Not for very long though because I know that I am doing the right thing, something any good  parent would do. So, in a way, I am using my daughters as a timer for how long to let them play at the park, or outside or in general for that matter. At least during the summer anyway.

Game Night

For the past week, my son J has been wanting some father/son play time. I haven't really had time or the energy for play time lately. Even when my kids wanted me to read them a story at bed time, I have just been really tired. I know that is not really an excuse, but it is hard to read a story when I am so tired that I can't see the words.

So last night, I decided we would have a family game night. No, television, no video games, no electronic anything. Just plain old games like I used to play when I was their age. The kids were really excited, except for maybe my teenage step-daughter.

After dinner, we all went to the back room where there is plenty of room on the carpet to set up games. Unfortunately, we don't have many games that more than four people can play at a time that my younger kids can play. Monopoly is a little advanced for a five and seven year old. We do have some of the classics like Sorry, Trouble, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and two old classics, Smess and Uncle Wiggley,but they are only for four people. We were six last night.

We started off with a game called Hiss that my wife and I found in San Diego a number of years ago. It is perfect for younger kids. You get cards that are parts of a snake, head, body or tail. You draw a card and try and put one together. The body parts are different color so they have to be matched up. The kids really like it.

Next, we played another card game called Hit the Deck. It is similar to Uno but not as fun. It was not a big hit (no pun intended). After that let down, I thought they would enjoy a game of Uncle Wiggley. This was a game that I had found at a yard sale a long time ago. It was a game I used to play in like second or third grade at school so I got it thinking my kids would like it. Well, it wasn't as fun as I remembered it, but the kids were troopers and they finished the game. I doubt that they will be excited about playing it again.

For the last game, my step daughter picked Cars Uno. It basically plays like the original Uno but with different wild cards. One card let you swap cards with another player. The kids liked it with one of my kids throwing a short fit. But what young child doesn't throw a little fit once and a while? That's what I thought.

That took us to past nine in the evening which so happens is their bed time for weekends. I got them all off to bed, my wife was already in bed because she had to get up at five in the morning for work. I really wanted to get the dishes done so that I could watch a movie or work on some writing. But, instead I fell asleep on the couch as usual and woke up around midnight. I felt more tired than when I fell asleep but the dishes had to be done. Then it was off to bed for me.

Despite the fact that fell asleep during my movie time, I did get to play games and have fun with my kids. We all had fun. That is what matters. Doing fun things together. Hopefully they will have good memories of their child hood and will do the same with their kids.

Cheating to Lose

Earlier today, my four year old daughter asked me if I would play a card game with her. I said I would and asked her to pick one. She came back with Barbie Uno.

We have like six different versions of Uno with each one just a little different. This time she wanted the Barbie version. During the first game she seemed reluctant to put down cards that she could have and preferred to draw as if she didn't have any to play. But, in the end she won the first game. Through the whole second game, she did everything she could do to not win. She put down a card that allows her to trade cards with me when she only had two left and I had a big stack. I asked her why she was playing like that and she responded, "Because I want you to win Daddy." She wanted me to win this game because she won the first game.

In other words, she was cheating so that I could win a game. How cute is that? I guess she felt sorry for me.

My youngest son, nine years old, does the same thing with checkers. He tries really hard not to jump any of my pieces so that I will win. This is not a very practical stratagem for checkers. There are times where jumping is the only move you can make.

The fact that they would go to these lengths so that I could win is very touching. They must have gotten if from me. I do the same thing during game play with my kids sometimes. I don't know a parent that hasn't done the same with their kids. We can't help it. It is in a parents nature and job description do let our kids win at thing sometimes.

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

I don't know what it is that attracts kids to rocks. Is it some mystical power that takes over their brain, or some part of their DNA that makes them fascinated with rocks. What ever it is, it seems to affects all my children, boys and girls alike.

I don't mind them being interested in rocks, but sometimes they are down right obsessed. For example, my two youngest daughters were playing out back. After some time, I went out to check on them and what do I find? They each had collected a huge pile of rocks. I would have been surprised if there were any rocks left in the yard. But hunting them down put a smile on their face and they weren't fighting with each other. Both good points.

Another example is when I walk my kids to the bus stop in the morning, my two youngest daughters and two sons search up and down the ditch by the bus stop looking for the perfect rocks until the bus comes. They do this every day.

I guess it could be worse. They could be throwing the rocks or could have a fascination with fire.

I should probably take them to a rock show, shop, or museum. Maybe one of them will want to become a geologist. Unfortunately that requires college which, unfortunately, we will never be able to afford.

The McGuyver of Imagination

My kids are like McGuyver with their imaginations. With just a blanket, a few stuffed animals, and some string, they can play "Zoo" for a while, then by adding some toy plates, they are chefs on the cooking show.

I love to watch them play and create different "worlds" with just their imagination and a few toys. I think that too many toys offered today don't encourage kids to use their brain. Baby dolls that do everything from talk to crap their diaper, video games, etc. When I was their age, my parents couldn't afford many toys for us. With nine kids to take care of, they did the best they could.

But my dad was awesome. He worked at the school district office and would bring us home unwanted books, broken cameras, tape recorders, microscopes and a whole slew of other things that the school was throwing out. My younger brother and I loved it when he brought stuff home. I remember when he brought home some black cases that used to house some kind of tape recordings. At that time, the show Emergency was out and we pretended we were paramedics, using the cases to house our "equipment".

Once, he brought home an old broken reel to reel recorder. He fixed it and gave it to us to play with. We would record all kids of things, pretend we were having an adventure or radio show.

When I see my kids playing like that, it takes me back to my child hood. I am glad they have such good imaginations. It will help them through life, especially the way things are going now.