This is a Daily Moment—short perspectives on life and times through a dad’s eye.
This morning I walked my kids to school for the first time in a couple of weeks. We’ve been grabbing the car recently because of the windy, sub-zero temperatures.
But today it was a balmy 32°, just barely freezing, so we walked. I had really missed these walks and I was looking forward to it. But since we were in the two-week habit of hopping in the car, we left a little later than we should have. And since we hadn’t walked in a while, we took our time and enjoyed it.
As we were getting near the school, my oldest kid mentioned with a big smile on his face that it was the first day of February. His birthday month.
I said that I was exciting about his birthday. Then I added that February is a short month, so we’ll have to really enjoy and appreciate every day.
A minute later I noticed we were cutting it close on time. So I said that we needed to pick up the pace. Without losing a beat, my youngest looked up and said sarcastically, “But Daddy, we can’t go fast, we have to enjoy these moments.”
Now, had that been a spontaneous insight into the nature of time and reality, I would have been awestruck. But he said it to be funny, and it worked. I laughed out loud. Still, you have to admire the connection.
So, we found a happy medium pace for that last stretch. And they made it to school on time. Barely.
This moment was also a reminder that, even when it doesn’t seem like it, your kids are always listening, for better or worse.
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