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Published: January 2nd 2006
Christmas!
No time to waste, open those gifts!Tonight ends my four-day stint as a single parent. Having spent the New Year’s weekend with my nine year old adopted sister I have a renewed picture of the work parenting is. She is a good kid, full of energy, cleverness, and wonder of the world. She is a bit of an anomaly, eschewing pop music for opera and telling complete strangers that the TV rots your brain.
I took her to the Outback Steakhouse and she says to the waitress “I don’t like this music.” “So what kind of music do you like?” “Opera, but it’s okay, you don’t have to change it.” I am most certain that is the first time the waitress has heard that from a kid.
Now that you know what material I was working with you might forgive me for not holding my end of the bargain of being the older, influential brother. I actually made her make her bed, do her math homework, clean her room, and finish her thank you notes. I even made it through the weekend without my fingernails being painted. I know, I know, I’m off my game, but please save the calls and emails, everything will be
Puzzle master
Time for puzzles, games and hanging together. okay. By the time I get to Ireland I will be ready lead a procession of children down the village streets with noise makers and silly hats.
Given what she has been through and where she might have ended up she is an example for me of keeping the wonder of life right in front of you, no matter what happens. Having lost her mother to breast cancer, she was adopted a few years ago by my father and stepmother.
After being a bachelor and living on my own, WOW, what it takes to get out of the house with a child. She is clever as a fox and loves to play with you as if you are some sort of field mouse. Just getting food on the table can be a major project. Now, before all of you get visions of burned toast served on dirty plates and Pepsi with a straw I want to tell you she got three square meals a day with plenty of veggies and fruits.
Timing was an issue though. Not once, but twice I was late getting her to the movie "Narnia". Being late the first time meant we went
Bonsai!
If you don't end up on your face you have'nt done it right. to the arcade room and I showed her the fine art of video racecar driving. Silly me, I thought the object of the $.75 game was to go fast and reach the finish line. She thought the best part was driving through the office lobby.
Alaska is a great place for a kid in the winter, especially with fresh snow and temps in the high 20’s. Why, you barely need cloves and hat, just your sled, skates, or skis and out the door you go. Every school and public park has a rink and usually a sleding hill that is available free of charge. Getting smacked at the bottom of a sledding hill and eating snow when your thirsty (watch the yellow stuff) is a right of passage for a kid in Alaska.
It was a good time, but I won’t mind not being in charge all the time
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Rob
non-member comment
Way to go!
Bryan, It sounds like you're having a good time, and the shots from the camera look about as crisp as the temperature in Alaska! Have a great New Year! I've subscribed to the RSS feed for your site and so I get your latest posts within 30 minutes of when you make it. You're being watched ;-)