Today was the first day in a while I’ve spent alone with my five year old son. As a family, we spend most Saturdays together and I’ve spent short periods of time alone with each of my two boys, but rarely have I gotten to spend an entire day with one of them. As a result, I learned some valuable lessons from him today that I thought I would share here:
1. Laugh hard at least once a day. There is nothing like hearing a belly laugh from a child – especially yours. We had several of these together today.
2. Learn something new. I taught him the game Toss Up, which is a fun little dice game. Even though the box said it was for ages 8 & up, he picked it up quickly (and ALMOST beat me!). He shows no hesitation in learning – he soaks it up!
3. Be spontaneous. Whether it’s a song that pops in your head, a chance to step in a puddle, or just dancing to the music that’s in your head, go for it. Sure, other people might think you’re strange, but chances are they aren’t having near as much fun as you.
4. Hug those you love often. I must have gotten 100 hugs today at least! Most were unprovoked and BIG bear hugs. His love language is definitely touch.
5. Say “I love you” for no reason. This one kind of goes along with the previous one, but I thought it warranted its own number. There were a couple of times today he just looked at me and said “I love you, Daddy” for no apparent reason. He wasn’t trying to butter me up to get something – he was just genuinely letting me know how he felt at the moment.
In case you couldn’t tell, it was a great day. We have all day tomorrow together, too. I wonder what we’ll get into. 🙂
Chris Roberts 