Fresh Eyes

This week we had an eleven-year-old house guest for a few days, and it was rather enlightening. Having him spend time with us during the week helped me see our daily life with fresh eyes.

Here are a few things he told me while he was visiting:

"You guys always have the best dinners." Warren had just made spaghetti, which was awesome, but I wasn't thinking of it as anything special. "What did we have the last time you were here?" I asked. I've already forgotten again what it was, but as he walked towards the living room he added, "We ate it at the table," and motioned to the dining room table. I've let the dining room table get covered with odds and ends and I can't remember the last time we ate there! But the next night we did. (Warren made stir fried noodles and vegetables.)

At bedtime, when our visitor discovered that I was going to get in bed with the boys and read them a book (Hershel and the Beast by Steve Stern), his eyes lit up and he said, "That reminds me of being a little boy." He eagerly got in the top bunk and listened intently to the story. "I usually just put myself to bed," he said. "I still think of Satchel and Jiro as little boys," I told him. Warren likes to fuss at me for spending an hour or so tucking them in, but I ignore him. A psychologist (who I interviewed for a story) once told me that parents should tuck their kids in as long as they'll let them. That's exactly what I intend to do.

It was also an absolute pleasure to have a child in the house who consistently said "please" and "thank you" and even cleaned up after himself. (I'm hoping his good example will inspire the monkeys.)

His mom thinks I was doing her a favor, but in reality she did me one.