Adventuring

"You don't have to come with us, honey.  You can stay at the beach all day.  I'm totally cool with that.  I've got this." 

These are the words that I told Hossmom on a Thursday during our beach vacation.  I never expected her to come with us.  This was supposed to be my gift to her.  I was going to give her the entire day at the beach by herself.  She could drink pina coladas in her brand new beach chair.  All day.  She could catch some rays without any baby vomit on her.  She could swim in the waves without worrying if anyone is about to play shark on the back of her head.  She was going to get the chance to relax.  No one was going to throw sand at her, cry if they didn't get the last poptart or attempt to pull her bathing suit top off because they wanted to climb to the top of mount Hossmom. 

"No, I want to go." 

She said these words and I knew that this was a mistake but I didn't say anything.  How could I? 

I took me time and this Thursday was supposed to be Hossmom's time but it appears that she didn't want it.  She wanted to adventure with us.  Sometimes, I don't think she understands what that means, or had at least forgotten about how the kids and I adventure.  You have to go hard with the kids, you have to be all in.  You have to keep your energy level up, to match their excitement.  And when the excitement is missing, you have to provide it for them.  You have to motivate them.  Otherwise they would want to stay inside watching TV all day and we just can't have that.  No!  We are out in the world, we are in a part of the country we have never been to before!  There are things to be seen, quests to pursue!  Thursday is adventure day!  I asked her if she was sure if she wanted to go.

"Yes, I'm sure!" 

It's like watching someone taking the wrong exit into the bad part of town.  You think: yup, this isn't going to end well.  We should watch the news tonight to see if they were car jacked.

When the kids and I go adventuring, it can be an endurance race.  If I do it right, at the end of the adventure, we are usually exhausted and that's what I had planned for this day.  There is no relaxing.  It is constant motion, never ending wonder and conquering.  When there is a problem we deal with it and make it part of the story.  We build the memory whether or not the memory wants to cooperate with us or not.  Did she understand this? 

Maybe. 

I asked her one more time.  Just to be sure she knew what she was getting into.  You are going adventuring with dad.  Are you sure? I do this everyday.  I have molded my entire experience of being an at home dad on this type of stuff.  I have trained for 6 years for this kind of thing.  This is not an office job.  There is no lunch break where you talk about adult things.  There is no afternoon meeting in an air conditioned conference room where you discuss marketing strategy's.  Ten to one there will a Porta Potty involved somewhere along the way.  Are you sure you want to go?   Her answer was yes.  There is only so much one can do but dammit if I wasn't proud of my little office trooper.  

Later that day, after our third stop.  I asked her if she wanted to go inside the air museum with us.  I thought she was about to cut me. 

Pina Coladas on the beach.  I'm just saying that was a possibility on this wonderful Thursday.