bkdelong

This past weekend was a good test of fatherhood. I was off with the wife to the home of her Aunt and Uncle, who were in Bermuda, to watch their 3 girls - approx age 2, 6 and 8. I have to admit, when the wife first mentioned it I was all for it. But mostly because she said they had a second phone line and promised me I could hide in the room with my computer. Of course a week before this live-in babysit occured her story changed. Why am I not surprised. So I groaned and whined a bit because the youngest always seems to be crying or screaming when we call and the middle child always demands extra attention.

I was consistantly surprised throughout the weekend. The little one was always smiling and giggling, able to play by herself. The middle child did a little bit of whining when she didn't get her way but none of the 3 ever shed a single tear. Well, actually the eldest did when she took me outside to play football, soccer, and wiffle ball interchangably. I was showing her how to throw a football and hit her in the nose. She was more upset that her nose might start bleeding because "the last time it got hit it bled for almost an hour" then actually being hurt. A joke or two later and she was all simes and trying again this time being careful to tilt her head out of the way.

I spend most of my time with the eldest between playing sports outside to getting her homework dones through the next week. I totally wish I had been driven to get my weeks worth of homework done on the weekends. It would have given me SOO much more time in elementary school. I also hung out with her during her piano lesson while the wife and 2 other girls whent to get groceries, and sat in the living room while she practiced since I'm not *ahem* tone deaf (I'm going to get shot for that comment).

Through all that I still got my computer time in the evening, had time to make cookies with the girls, cleaned the kitchen and washed dishes. I was amazed. Obviously the girls usually have more activities to be driven around to but if kids act like that all the time I think I'm a lot more comfortable than I had been. Kirky (the wife) and I couldn't figure out why they were being so good or so happy. We figured it was because of the change in scenery for the girls.

Surprisingly, I'd do it again in a second.

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