Moments
Late afternoon walks have become a ritual for my two kids and me. It started out as my exercise routine to shake off the pounds. Then the kids started going with me to keep me company. We’d usually venture out just as the sun starts to set, which in the summer is not until after 8 in the evening. Nikki would don her iPod as we slip out the door. I’ll ask Goji where we’ll go this time. His standard answer will be where our feet will take us. Our feet usually take us through the most shaded parts of the neighborhood as we try to dodge the sun and take refuge in the trees’ shadows.
We’d play name games such as “name-five-things”, or we’ll think of better names for the streets we pass or the dogs that happen to be out in the front yards. Then we’ll peek into garages and decide what the inside of the house would probably look like. We’ve even come up with names for water sprinklers – they’re either rock stars, ballet dancers, sad little weepers, or just normal (in other words – boring).
Sometimes, occasions present themselves for a chance to teach the kids about stuff they may not learn in school. I’ve taught Goji how, someday, when he’s older, he needs to stay on the side of the road closest to traffic. That’s how gentlemen are when in the company of women and children. Then I showed him how he should hold his girlfriend’s hand and how that’s different from holding Mommy’s hand. I also remind them over and over again about road safety and how they should watch for cars backing out of driveways. At times, we don’t even talk at all. We just share this companionable silence as we get lost in our own thoughts.
Someday, they’ll have kids of their own. I hope that they too will take the time to be with their children, no matter how tired they are after work, to find amusement in little things and seize those moments when they can learn from each other.
