21 April 2009
16 April 2009
12 April 2009
Zack's Giant Easter Leap
BACKSTORY:
About eight months ago, Zack stood terrified at the threshold of the hallway in our apartment. He was dancing a bit and holding his wiener. I knew what was wrong, but I asked anyway.
"Zack, what are you doing with your wiener?"
"I have to go pee-pee."
"Ok. Go."
"But it's dark" he said lifting a quivering finger to the darkened abyss that was our hallway. Beyond which, lay my bedroom. Beyond which, lay the toilet.
I meandered over and peeked (all dramatic-like) down the hallway. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's dark. And it's scary."
"And what are you afraid of?"
He tightened his grip on the old wiener. "Monsters."
"Monster's? What monster's?"
"Can you just turn the light on for me?"
"You mean that light that is only five feet from where you're standing?"
"That one right there."
"Why can't you turn it on?"
"I'm afraid."
"Of monsters?"
"Yes," he said as he started to cry.
To which I responded by kneeling down and looking him straight in the eye. "Zack, why are you crying?"
"I don't want you to be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you, Zack."
"You're not?" He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes; one eye at a time, since he was still pinching the old one-eye.
"No, I'm not mad at you. I just want to explain something to you." I gave him a big hug and wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes. "Zack, it's okay to be afraid. Alright? It's okay to be afraid of something. What's not okay, is to run away and hide simply because you're afraid of it."
"Okay."
"What you need to do is run down that hallway as fast as you can and turn on that light as soon as you get to it."
"But it's dark."
"But as soon as you turn on that light it won't be dark anymore."
I saw the wheels in his head turning. With no further response from him, Zack darted down the darkened hallway, flipped the light on has he ran passed it and went straight for the can.
To which I responded by meandering back to the couch.
After a moment, Zack came back, a big smile engendered across his face. He popped up on my lap and told me that he did it.
"Just like you told me to, Dad."
I kissed him on the forehead. Mission accomplished, I thought to my self.
EASTER SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2009:
Since Easter really doesn't fit into my own personal (should be patented) conglomeration of Judao-Christian (both classical and some of that newfangled stuff some mad-fools created), Buddhism, Wicca, Taoism, Jedi, Atheism, Zoroastrianism, Paganism & Agnosticism, I have him stay with his Mother on Easter.
Tonight, Zack called me to give me a very well-intentioned "Happy Easter." And I love him for it. During the conversation that ensued, he told me that he had been terrified to go see the Easter Bunny, but he did it anyway, even though he was "so scared." I sat for a moment and congratulated myself for helping him to learn to stand up to his fears.
He then proceeded to ruin a perfectly good zen for me by telling he was being a bad boy at his Mother's house.
Why does my son tattle on himself. He knows I'm going to chastise him (which I did). I've never seen another kid call his own Father on the phone and then rat himself out.
Anyway, I thought Zack's little comment about the Easter Bunny was great. He made me so proud.
About eight months ago, Zack stood terrified at the threshold of the hallway in our apartment. He was dancing a bit and holding his wiener. I knew what was wrong, but I asked anyway.
"Zack, what are you doing with your wiener?"
"I have to go pee-pee."
"Ok. Go."
"But it's dark" he said lifting a quivering finger to the darkened abyss that was our hallway. Beyond which, lay my bedroom. Beyond which, lay the toilet.
I meandered over and peeked (all dramatic-like) down the hallway. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's dark. And it's scary."
"And what are you afraid of?"
He tightened his grip on the old wiener. "Monsters."
"Monster's? What monster's?"
"Can you just turn the light on for me?"
"You mean that light that is only five feet from where you're standing?"
"That one right there."
"Why can't you turn it on?"
"I'm afraid."
"Of monsters?"
"Yes," he said as he started to cry.
To which I responded by kneeling down and looking him straight in the eye. "Zack, why are you crying?"
"I don't want you to be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you, Zack."
"You're not?" He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes; one eye at a time, since he was still pinching the old one-eye.
"No, I'm not mad at you. I just want to explain something to you." I gave him a big hug and wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes. "Zack, it's okay to be afraid. Alright? It's okay to be afraid of something. What's not okay, is to run away and hide simply because you're afraid of it."
"Okay."
"What you need to do is run down that hallway as fast as you can and turn on that light as soon as you get to it."
"But it's dark."
"But as soon as you turn on that light it won't be dark anymore."
I saw the wheels in his head turning. With no further response from him, Zack darted down the darkened hallway, flipped the light on has he ran passed it and went straight for the can.
To which I responded by meandering back to the couch.
After a moment, Zack came back, a big smile engendered across his face. He popped up on my lap and told me that he did it.
"Just like you told me to, Dad."
I kissed him on the forehead. Mission accomplished, I thought to my self.
EASTER SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2009:
Since Easter really doesn't fit into my own personal (should be patented) conglomeration of Judao-Christian (both classical and some of that newfangled stuff some mad-fools created), Buddhism, Wicca, Taoism, Jedi, Atheism, Zoroastrianism, Paganism & Agnosticism, I have him stay with his Mother on Easter.
Tonight, Zack called me to give me a very well-intentioned "Happy Easter." And I love him for it. During the conversation that ensued, he told me that he had been terrified to go see the Easter Bunny, but he did it anyway, even though he was "so scared." I sat for a moment and congratulated myself for helping him to learn to stand up to his fears.
He then proceeded to ruin a perfectly good zen for me by telling he was being a bad boy at his Mother's house.
Why does my son tattle on himself. He knows I'm going to chastise him (which I did). I've never seen another kid call his own Father on the phone and then rat himself out.
Anyway, I thought Zack's little comment about the Easter Bunny was great. He made me so proud.
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