THE KIDS

A couple of weeks after everyone quarantined, my (Nicholas) office started up an email game called “Lateral the Ball.” One person writes an ice-breaker question and answer, BCCs it to the entire division and tags one other person to answer the same question next. That person then BCCs their answer to the entire division and tags another person to answer the same question. The idea is to see how long it takes everyone in the division to answer the same question.

The question was, how are you managing stress during the quarantine? When it finally got around to me, I naturally thought of the kids. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote:

… I’ve developed persistent stress pain between my shoulders. I really don’t think any of my usual stress relievers are helping with this pain. I, of course, blame my children. One is four, the other is two. They have taken over. The other day, I broke down and pleaded – like, on my knees, hands pressed together, tears streaming from my face pleaded – with my daughter to stop watching Frozen 2. She is now chasing me around the house with her hands pressed together, laughing and mocking my pleas, all the while singing that song Olaf sings about growing up. I’m writing to you all now from the unguarded sanctuary of my bedroom closet. I hope they don’t find me. I hear small footsteps…drawing closer…closer.

Anyway, stress…I took all the kids’ stuffed animals and handcrafted them tiny basketball uniforms. I then held a stuffed animal version of the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament. The University of My Little Pony won with a buzzer beater. 

With the tournament over, I have gone back to my usual stress relievers: reading and writing. A while back, I wrote a fantasy YA novel manuscript that is in dire need of editing and revision, so I’ve been doing that. I’m reading a book on curanderisma healing traditions and am going through my Houston-based authors TBR pile. Bryan Washington’s Lot is incredible. My wife and I have been rewatching Brooklyn 99, a solid show. I’m proud to say I’ve taught my daughter to apply sunscreen before each backyard outing, and I taught my son how to make a heck of an Old Fashioned. He’s getting quite good at it.

Now, while I certainly enjoy poking fun at my kids, I do want to share something a bit more somber: last night I saw on Twitter a video of a small child running to hug his father. The dad, dressed in scrubs, told his son to stop running and that he couldn’t come any closer. The dad knelt and wept. He is a nurse coming off his shift and didn’t want to put his son or family at risk. I get to hug my kids every night. A bunch of care workers and others do not. A big virtual hug to the nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and front-line care workers all over the world. They need it! 

I kept thinking, I need to save this somewhere. I need to remember this time and how I spent it with Jessie and the kids because who knows what tomorrow will bring? Who knows if I’ll ever be able to spend this much time consistently with my kids again? They laugh, they cry, they talk and use words I had no idea they knew. They run and play and fight over toys. They eat way too much chocolate. They love movie night. They make messes and always seem to attack our more beloved possessions. They grow. They have so much hair. They tell us they love us. They tell each other they love each other. Yes, they cause stress. I STILL haven’t rid myself of the shoulder pain. But they also are adorable, and I love them with everything I have.