Nico and Christopher on their first day of school. (August 13, 2018)
August 31, 2018
Talking to my children in the car on our way to drop them off at school
is an insightful way for me to learn about all the things I had loved when I
was their age while listening to the things that they love so much.
A topic of discussion that I brought up was a, Big Wheel. After I Googled Big Wheel and showed them what it was, I went on to explain the pure joy of riding that plastic 3 wheeler up and down my block in a convoy with all my friends.
A topic of discussion that I brought up was a, Big Wheel. After I Googled Big Wheel and showed them what it was, I went on to explain the pure joy of riding that plastic 3 wheeler up and down my block in a convoy with all my friends.
That larger than life front wheel spun round and round, as I heavy footed the pedal up and down our block. Boy, we wore out
that sidewalk. We drove in cadence,
zig-zagged without crashing and drove all day long.
“Daddy, those are kids on that I can't believe you were that little once!”
I chuckled. It was a
different time and place then the life they lead now. We hadn’t
ushered in the technology aspect of life just yet. This decade was the age of cassette tapes and Sony cassette players. I mean really, no one was impressed with a Radio Shack Commodore Computer or an Apple 2 computer at the time. We were forced to play outside and utilize
our imagination on the daily. We built forts, ran in
sprinklers and built imaginary cities in mud and dirt so we could toss our action
figures around.
“You guys have no idea what it was like to be
outside from early day and until the last minute of sunlight."
“Dad, are you going to start talking about how things were different when you were young, again?”
I didn’t have to explain to in-depth my fascination of youth. The joy in my voice wasn't filtering out any details of my past youth. I talked as if I were playing 80's music from my mouth. Even though we are now in a different
time and they are doing different things, I am on their side when it comes to bottling up youth and recognizing the power it has.
I may be getting older and times have changed but the life I'm peddling is like that Big Wheel that drives life. That joy i convey to them isn't lost to my boys because they hear the inflection in my voice and the know the glorious time it was for me when I was their age.
"We are in these periods of life that I enjoyed when I was your age," I said. "We will never have them again. This is the time to really understand your moment in life and realize that these moments are gone as sure as the day that leads us to the next morning. Cherish these car rides to school with me because someday you'll look back on them as some of your favorite memories of us."
There was a long pause from Christopher and Nico. The enthusiasm seemed to be sucked out of them by my oxygen consuming rant. Or maybe I killed the moment with such deep insight. I probably got too nostalgic on them and lost their concentration somewhere in my interpretation of what they need to cherish and not. Maybe the term convoy was still on their mind. These 8 and 10 years old boys who will never know life without a smartphone.
"Dad, I won't forget this time either."
I smiled and didn't say a word. I knew that even as an adult if I just keep peddling my Big Wheel of life as hard as I could, we will always have these moments. Moments that us 3 will never forget.
I may be getting older and times have changed but the life I'm peddling is like that Big Wheel that drives life. That joy i convey to them isn't lost to my boys because they hear the inflection in my voice and the know the glorious time it was for me when I was their age.
"We are in these periods of life that I enjoyed when I was your age," I said. "We will never have them again. This is the time to really understand your moment in life and realize that these moments are gone as sure as the day that leads us to the next morning. Cherish these car rides to school with me because someday you'll look back on them as some of your favorite memories of us."
There was a long pause from Christopher and Nico. The enthusiasm seemed to be sucked out of them by my oxygen consuming rant. Or maybe I killed the moment with such deep insight. I probably got too nostalgic on them and lost their concentration somewhere in my interpretation of what they need to cherish and not. Maybe the term convoy was still on their mind. These 8 and 10 years old boys who will never know life without a smartphone.
"Dad, I won't forget this time either."
I smiled and didn't say a word. I knew that even as an adult if I just keep peddling my Big Wheel of life as hard as I could, we will always have these moments. Moments that us 3 will never forget.
Captain Imperfecto enjoying a Cuban Cigar in Havana, Cuba. (August 8, 2018)
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