It's great to see you, dad.
And other things the boy is saying right now.
The boy talks so much. I mean, so much.
And if you don’t respond, he keeps going. You can’t even nod your head or give a faux “Yeah, I see” to pretend like you’re listening. He sees right through that.
No, you have to hold up your end of the conversation, regardless of whether you asked for a conversation in the first place or have any sort of clue where it might be headed.
Anyway, this is how our conversations start…
“It’s great to see you, dad.”
This is an all-time first line of the day, and it has been on repeat every morning for about a week now. I know it will vanish from the vocabulary at any moment, but it’s enough to make you thrilled to change a diaper.
“Do you hear that?”
He could be referring to any noise, real or imagined. Automobiles and machinery are the usual suspects. Sometimes birds. Whatever it is, he will continue asking if I hear it until I a) admit that I do and b) identify the noise with full confidence.
“That’s gross.”
This is the rare phrase that needs no repeating. I will respond immediately because it typically means that he’s holding something gross. Like a fistful of hummus.
“It’s very windy.”
Anytime he sees a leaf move.
“Too spicy.”
Things that are “spicy” include salsa, guacamole, bread, toothpaste, and one time a banana. So yeah, he kinda knows what it means, but my instinct is that it’s really a roundabout way of getting a cup of milk.
“Wrestle” “Crash” “Kick”
All one-word commands that result in more or less the same game, sometimes involving cars and soccer balls, sometimes not.
“Great job singing, dad.”
He has only said this to me once. Which makes me more self-conscious about my singing than I would ever admit. He freely hands out “Great to see you” but is stingy when it comes to the quality of my nighttime singing.
So, I’ve decided that great singing is something he fully comprehends. Meaning, he can’t praise poor vocal performances. Not a boy of taste and character such as he.
Jokes on him though because I’ve had The Wizard and I at the top of my commute playlist for a few days now and his rocking chair is my broadway theater.
I’ll have to teach him what a standing ovation is before I start, but he’s a quick learner.
Thanks for reading this far.
-jd
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Content
The Song of Significance - I’ll never finish it.
Wicked - As a general rule, I don’t think plays translate well to movies. But this movie had some singers and the Wicked soundtrack remains undefeated.
Wicked - See above.
Camera Roll
1,200 screws later…
Question
What’s a saying or phrase you repeat often? That’s the other thing about the boy—he’s always listening. Most of the things he says are just things we say. And apparently we think it’s great to see people. Also, “What the…” is something I’m having to rid myself of.
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