Hangin’ Out With The Kids

Ally (the wife’s sister-in-law and really close friend) and the kids (Maddie and Grant) were in town last night and decided to drop by. The wife was extremely excited to see them. Apparently she likes them quite a bit. I immediately had a concern because the Laker game was on and I was worried I couldn’t devote myself entirely to the game if the kids were going to be running around.

The wife came up with the idea to go for a walk with Ally and the kids so I could watch the game completely uninterrupted. Yes! Didn’t I say I hit the jackpot? Then I proceeded to watch my beloved Lakers get crushed by an inferior New Orleans team looking nothing like the champs they were last year with only nine games left in the regular season. I began to realize that it’s looking less and less likely they’re going to repeat as champions. I’m trying to prepare myself emotionally for this and have even started looking up counselors in the area.

When the wife, Ally and the kids returned the game was just about over. The kids were playing fetch with the dog, screaming, laughing and enjoying themselves immensely. As I was watching this I realized that Buddy is the perfect dog for kids. The dog is playful, gentle, and loves being around people. The wife and Ally were having their girl talk, I would tell you what they were talking about if I were paying attention. Ally would interject intermittingly giving the kids commands so they would play in an orderly fashion without getting hurt (Funny, when I was a kid “orderly” and “playing” were never put together). She also made sure they took turns playing fetch with the dog so that both would have equal playing time.

Initially you would think that’s just parenting. But it was the way she did it that amazed me. Ally did it with a perfect blend of a strong command presence and gentleness. The children responded to her redirections and happily played on. In the midst of all this I forgot about the current Laker peril. I didn’t think about the loss to an inferior New Orleans team or how they looked completely disinterested in playing. Watching the kids having fun with the dog under guided parenting by Ally made me realize there might be more important things in life than the Lakers. Maybe someday I could watch my wife do that with our own kids.

Of course twenty seconds later I realized that was non-sense. We’re talking about the Lakers!!! So to reach a happy medium with the wife, I offer that we will start having kids when Kobe retires. Done and done.